


Wicked Games

by starsthatburn



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: BDSM, Bisexuality, Bondage, Bondage and Discipline, Choking, Dominance, Experimentation, F/F, First Time, Handcuffs, Lesbian Sex, NSFW, Oral Sex, PWP, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn, Porn with Feelings, Romance, Rough Sex, S&M, Sex, Sex Toys, Sexual Experimentation, Smut, Submission, Swan Queen - Freeform, Trust
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2018-11-02 22:33:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 120,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10954092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsthatburn/pseuds/starsthatburn
Summary: Regina has long suspected that Emma may have a submissive side. When Hook disappears and Regina forces Emma to go out for Ladies’ Night, she isn’t surprised when Emma admits that she’s wanted to try something with her for a while. Explicit Swan Queen BDSM.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t judge me too harshly for this, but I adore a kinky BDSM fic more than most normal people and so it was only a matter of time before I wrote my own. Be warned that this is explicit and definitely NSFW. 
> 
> This story takes place a month after the infamous Aesop’s Tables bar scene in S06E15, but please bear in mind that I haven’t actually watched the show in about 3 years, so there are bound to be a few factual inaccuracies.
> 
> Currently this is just a one-shot to get all this smut out of my system, but that’s not to say it’ll stay at one chapter forever!
> 
> Also, some parts of this have been inspired by Abigail Barnette's 'The Boss'. If you haven't read it already, please do - it's filthy and fucking fantastic.
> 
> I'm starsthatburn on tumblr and fanfiction.net too! I hope you enjoy x

 

As Regina opened the door, she was surprised by just how nervous Emma looked. Not wearing her red leather jacket for once, she was bouncing on the balls of her feet on Regina’s porch, her hands thrust into the pockets of her jeans and her smile too wide. Regina raised her eyebrows.

“Are you okay?” she asked, glancing down at Emma’s shuffling feet. Her own stomach was fizzing with excitement and a hint of uncertainty, but she felt like she was covering it up slightly more successfully.

Emma nodded.

“I’m great,” she said. After a pause, she exhaled heavily. “Okay – I’m a bit nervous. I didn’t think this would actually happen.”

“It doesn’t have to if you don’t want,” Regina said slowly, swallowing down her disappointment. But she needn't have bothered – before she'd even finished her sentence, Emma was frantically shaking her head.

“I do want it to,” she said, and the firmness of her voice left no room for doubt. “Badly. I’m just…”

Regina smiled, not forcing her to finish that sentence. “You should come in.”

“Okay,” Emma said, taking a breath before she stepped over the threshold. As she brushed past, Regina caught a waft of her freshly washed hair. She was also wearing more make up than normal, she noticed.

With a faint smile, Regina shut the door behind her. Then she turned to face Emma once more, looking her up and down. “You look very nice tonight.”

Emma shrugged, but there was a new pinkness to her cheeks. “I didn’t really know what the occasion called for, so I took a guess.”

Her guess had involved a tight black sweater cut sharply across her collarbone and inky blue jeans. She was wearing her favourite black boots, but if Regina was right – and she already knew that she was – they looked like they’d been cleaned.

Regina, meanwhile, was wearing the same tight, red dress she’d been wearing all day, because she planned to take it off very soon anyway.

She smiled. “You chose well. But really, you don’t have to look so scared. This was a mutual agreement, was it not?”

“It was,” Emma said. “Just normally when I get nervous, I have a drink. But I didn’t feel like that would be a good idea tonight.”

“That was very insightful of you,” Regina said. “I probably wouldn’t be comfortable with this if you were inebriated.”

Emma swallowed, then asked, “But you _are_ comfortable with this?”

At the sight of Regina’s wicked smile, she felt her stomach turn to soup. “That remains to be seen. Nothing has happened yet, Miss Swan.”

There it was – the name that made Emma’s entire body go hot then cold at a speed that threatened to give her whiplash. It was Regina calling her that name – then noticing her reaction to it – that had led to this arrangement being made in the first place.

Emma straightened her spine, suddenly not smiling anymore. “That’s true.”

“Do you still want it to?”

Emma’s gaze flickered as she took in Regina’s calmly pouted lips, her confident posture, her deliciously cinched waist. She was wearing towering black heels in her own goddamn house. Emma bit her lip, nodding.

“Yes, I do.”

“Excellent,” Regina said, taking a short step towards her. “There are some things we should probably discuss before we start. Where would you prefer to do that?”

Emma blinked, looking wildly around her for a moment. Her blonde curls swished across her shoulders as she moved, and Regina felt a long-familiar ache between her legs.

“It’s not a trick question,” Regina said gently. “I want you to feel comfortable. We can do it right here, if you prefer, or we can sit somewhere – the choice is yours.”

Wetting her lips, Emma said, “Living room.”

“Good,” Regina said, gesturing towards the door. “After you.”

With her fingers curling around the edge of her sleeves, Emma turned and walked slowly into the living room. Regina had already dimmed the lights before Emma had arrived, because something had told her that the sheriff would prefer it if Regina couldn’t see her blushing.

Emma paused in front of the couch like she was waiting for an invitation to sit down. It was kind of endearing, and equally satisfying – for months, Regina had suspected that Emma secretly had a submissive side. She had spent night after hot, lonely night imagining it. She could never put her finger on why she thought this – Emma spent her days stomping around town, ignoring Regina’s every request, doing whatever she damn well pleased and not even wearing the correct uniform while doing it. But something had niggled at the back of Regina’s mind almost since day one, so much so that when Emma had drunkenly blurted out her confession in Aesop’s Tables nearly a month before, Regina hadn’t even been surprised.

“Please sit, Emma,” Regina said, and her guest immediately did so. Regina perched herself at the opposite end of the couch, crossing her legs over. “Can I get you anything?”

“I’m fine.”

“Water? Or you can have a very small glass of wine, if that would help.”

Emma shook her head, smiling tightly. “I’m okay. I just need to loosen up a bit.”

“What would help with that?” Regina asked, her eyes already on Emma’s tightly wound frame. She’d never seen her sit up so straight before.

Releasing a large puff of air, Emma said, “Just talk to me. Tell me what’s going to happen.”

Regina could hear the faint longing buried at the back of her throat, and so she smiled, not taking it personally that to anyone looking in at them, it would appear that Emma was ready to run for the door.

“We both have to decide what’s going to happen,” Regina said. “But I can lay down the groundwork, if you prefer. Then you can interject with what you want to try, and what you don’t. How does that sound?”

Immediately, Emma’s shoulders appeared to loosen slightly. She nodded. “That sounds good.”

“Okay,” Regina said, sounding a great deal calmer than she felt. “We talked about some of this in the bar the other night, but you were fairly drunk and I was distracted trying to stop your mother from being murdered by Vikings, so I may repeat myself. Just bear with me.”

Emma nodded firmly. “Okay.”

Regina wasn’t sure she’d ever had someone’s completely undivided attention like this before.

She cleared her throat and said, “I’ve done this a few times before. I have tried it from both sides, and it didn’t take me long to realise that I much prefer being the Dominant in the relationship to the submissive. Based on our altercations in the past, I am guessing this won’t come as much of a surprise to you.”

Emma smiled at her, but didn’t interrupt.

“If I remember correctly, you haven’t had any experience of this before. Is that right?” Regina asked. That triggered Emma’s first blush of the evening.

“No,” she admitted.

“That’s okay,” Regina said, and it was the most patient she’d ever sounded. The knot in Emma's stomach went slack. “Though I would be interested to know what has made you want to try it now.”

Emma shrugged. “Sometimes you just know when you’re into something, even if you’ve never tried it. Like, knowing you’re into women as well as men, even though you’ve never kissed one.”

Regina blinked at the surprise admission. “You’ve never kissed a woman?”

“No,” Emma said, sighing. “Have you?”

“Yes. Several,” Regina said. Emma’s eyes immediately glazed over with a new wave of longing. “Will you let me kiss you?”

Emma’s jaw nearly detached from her skull as she choked out, “What, now?”

“Well. If you like,” Regina said. “But I just meant at any point tonight. Some submissives don’t enjoy that, and I want to know where your lines are drawn.”

Emma stammered, “Of course I want to kiss you, Regina. That’s the whole reason I’m here.”

She watched as a proud blush tinged the mayor’s cheeks.

“Very good. That’s that settled then,” Regina said. “So, tell me – why has this suddenly become a desire for you now?”

Emma finally dropped her gaze. She fidgeted in her seat for a moment, her fingers rolling over a single thread that was protruding from the hem of her sweater.

“It hasn’t.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning I’ve wanted it for a really long time, but we were always either fighting or dating other people. And then when we _weren’t_ , there was no way I could actually ask you. How do you drop that into conversation? It was only because you got me drunk the other week that I finally had the courage to say it.”

Emma came to a halt, breathing heavily. Then she added, “Besides. I was sure you’d laugh at me.”

Regina pondered this for a moment, debating whether she should be offended. Eventually she shrugged. “I suppose I can understand that. But I promise you, no matter what problems we've had in the past, I wouldn't do that to you. And I won't laugh at you while we are discussing this tonight either.”

Emma nodded. “Thanks. That does help.”

“So, if you've always suspected you might enjoy this, why have you never tried it before?”

“I guess...” Emma started, pausing when it occurred to her that she was about to admit something that she'd never said out loud before. She wondered if Regina was really the best person to tell. But Regina was watching her patiently, with nothing but interest and a vague hint of desire on her face, and she came out with it. “The guys I've slept with have never managed to get the basics right, let alone anything more special. If I asked them to try this, they might say yes, but... I never got the feeling it would be exactly what I was imagining. If I wanted to try it, I wanted it to be right. And the more I've gotten to know you, the more I've realised that you are the only person I know who would do this properly.”

Regina smirked, uncrossing and then re-crossing her legs. She only did it to see if Emma would glance down at them, and when she did – without hesitation or shame – it gave her all the encouragement she needed.

“Tell me what 'properly' means to you.”

Emma flushed bright pink. “How much detail do you want?”

“As much as possible,” Regina said, then clarified. “I need to know how to make this perfect.”

“Perfect is a lot to ask for, Regina.”

“It is, but I am nothing if not a perfectionist,” Regina said, smiling when Emma laughed. It was a beautiful, carefree sound, one that she didn't get to hear very often. “Please tell me.”

Emma swallowed, glancing back down at her lap before she asked, “And you won't laugh at me?”

“Absolutely not,” Regina said. “I can't promise I'll agree to all of it, but that's exactly why we are having this conversation. I'm certain there are things that I would like to do to you that would make your head explode if I suggested them right now.”

Emma's mouth fell open half an inch. “You want to do things to me?”

“Would we be here if I didn't?”

“No,” Emma admitted. “But it's still surprising to hear.”

Regina couldn't explain why she found Emma's sudden shyness quite so endearing, but it was making her stomach flip over. “Emma, if I didn't have many other things planned for tonight, I would be quite content to spend the next four hours giving you an _extensive_ list of all the things I've imagined doing to you. But I'd much rather actually do them.”

Emma couldn't hold back her faint groan this time. “You can't expect me to have a serious conversation with you if you keep saying stuff like that.”

“That is true,” Regina said, not sounding the slightest bit repentant. “But I take it you do enjoy it.”

Emma rolled her eyes, and Regina felt the muscles between her legs clench.

“Let's start with that,” she said. Emma frowned.

“With what?”

“The eye rolling,” Regina said. “As much as I enjoy your attitude problems in a day-to-day environment, I will not tolerate it when we are in the bedroom. I don't like bratty subs, Emma. It's very important that you remember that.”

Emma squeezed her legs together, nodding. “Can I ask what happens if I do something you don't like?”

“Of course,” Regina said. “While the whole point of this exercise is to give you the experience you've been missing out on, when we slip into our roles, your main concern should be pleasing me. I will be focusing on pleasing you and bringing you to the very edge of your limits, but when you are truly in the submissive mindset, pleasing me will give you its own pleasure, and making me unhappy will ruin it for you. I don't necessarily expect that to be the case right away, but if we were to continue this arrangement, it will come with time. If you roll your eyes at me when you are supposed to be acting as my submissive, I will punish you. That can mean a whole variety of things, so I need to know what you are open to.”

“Can you give me some examples?”

“How do you feel about spanking?” Regina asked. The corners of Emma's mouth flickered.

“Strongly in favour,” she said. Regina smirked back at her.

“How about with a paddle, or a flogger?”

Emma's eyes widened. “You have those?”

“Perhaps,” Regina said lightly. “Answer the question.”

“I don't know,” Emma said. “Maybe. I guess I'll have to try them.”

“Noted,” Regina said. “Okay – what toys have you used?”

Emma's face turned pillarbox red, and Regina could see her urge to ask her to stop. But she gritted her teeth and forced herself to say, “I have a couple of vibrators. A bullet, and a rabbit. Nothing fancy.”

“Would you be happy to use toys like that with me?”

The look of yearning on Emma's face gave Regina her answer before she had even choked out a single, “Yes.”

“How do you feel about gags?”

Here, Emma paused. “I'm not sure. I don't like feeling like I can't breathe. I might freak out.”

Regina considered it for a moment. “We can leave it for tonight, if you prefer. Or we can try something light and see how you feel. I will give you safe words in case you don't like it.”

“I don't mind trying it,” Emma said. “Maybe don't use any, like, ball gags or anything just yet. Or anything that covers my nose. That seems like a good place to start.”

“Agreed,” Regina said, uncrossing her legs. As she moved, she felt the warm tug of her soaked panties as they clung to her skin. She tried not to wriggle. “Then how about blindfolds?”

“They're fine.”

“And being restrained?”

“Also fine.”

Regina smiled, feeling strangely proud. “Do you know what safe words are?”

Emma nodded. “Yeah. People normally use a traffic light system, I think.”

“Exactly. Are you happy for us to use that? Green would mean everything is good, orange means you want me to take it down a notch, and red means stop. That can be because you aren't enjoying yourself and you want to leave, or just because you have a cramp in your leg, but if you say 'red', I will stop. No questions asked.”

Emma tried to imagine a scenario in which she would actually want Regina to stop doing deliciously kinky things to her, but she figured Regina probably knew better than she did about this particular subject. “That works for me.”

“Good,” Regina said, and from that single word of vague praise, Emma felt a tingle of pleasure reach down into her stomach. She would never have imagined that doing something so clinical as going through a list of dos and don'ts could be in any way pleasurable before now, but the frantic pounding of her heart and the now dull, unceasing ache between her legs told her just how naive she'd been.

Jesus Christ, Regina hadn't even touched her yet. She was so completely fucked.

“I don't think we will go much further than this tonight,” Regina said. “We can discuss other boundaries at a later date. But I want you to be aware of something else before we begin.”

 _Oh god_ , Emma thought, squeezing her thighs together. _This is actually going to happen._

“Shoot,” she said, hoping Regina wouldn't hear the wobble in her voice.

“I know you think I can be bossy in real life,” Regina said, leaning back against the couch cushions. “And I can. I'm well aware that I can be, in your own words, a sociopath. But when I'm being a Dominant... It's very different, Emma. I won't take pity on you if you start crying, I won't let you get away with mouthing off because I'm making you wait too long before you can come. I expect respect in the bedroom, and if I don't get it, I won't make this easy for you. I need you to understand that.”

Emma nodded. “It might take me a bit of getting used to. I'm used to punching back. But I promise I will try.”

Regina smiled so softly at her then that Emma thought she might burst into tears. “Very good.”

She didn't say anything else, and at once Emma felt her whole body start to vibrate with impatience. “Is that everything?”

“No,” Regina said, observing her slightly more coolly. “There's one more thing.”

Emma slumped forwards with disappointment.

“What?”

“This may not sound important to you, but it is to me,” Regina said, taking a deep breath. “Are you only here because of what happened with Hook?”

Emma blinked. “Because he left me?”

“Yes.”

For a second, Emma looked like she didn't understand the question at all. Obviously she was there because Hook left her – she'd already said that she couldn't do this when she was dating someone else. She was many things, but she wasn't a cheater.

But then she saw the glimmer of concern in Regina's eyes and the reality dawned on her.

“This isn't some weird whim,” she said slowly, never dropping her gaze. “And this isn't me acting out because I want to get back at him. He's gone, and I guess I'm still kind of sad, but it's for the best. And I've wanted this for a really long time – him upping and walking out of my life just gave me the opportunity to finally act on it.”

“Is this an outlet for you?” Regina asked, and it didn't sound like an accusation, so Emma shrugged.

“Maybe a little,” she said. “A lot of shit has happened in the last few years though, not just Hook – maybe I want to be thrown around a bit until I forget some of it.”

Against her will, Regina laughed. “You have such an eloquent way of putting it.”

Emma grinned back at her. “Isn't that exactly what you want to do, though?”

“Throw you around?” Regina said, letting her eyes trail down to the tightness of Emma's sweater over her slim body. “I must say, it does sound appealing.”

Emma shivered, a full-body, bone-trembling shiver that nearly made Regina laugh if the sight of it hadn't filled her own body with an almost suffocating longing.

“Do you have any other questions?” Regina asked. Emma tried desperately to think, knowing that now was not the time to throw caution to the wind.

“I don't think so,” she said softly. “Are you going to tell me what you're doing, or will it all be a surprise?”

“A variety, I expect,” Regina said, her own fingers starting to curl with impatience. She swallowed the feeling down. “We are going to take this fairly slowly, and I will read the situation carefully. If you look anxious, I will give you some indication as to what's coming next. If you don't, maybe I'll surprise you.”

Emma smiled at her. “You often do.”

It was Regina's turn to blush. “Well. I do try.”

For a moment they just looked at each other. Emma hadn't had a single drop of alcohol, but she felt like she'd spent half the night doing body shots off of Regina's stomach. She swallowed.

“I think I'm ready, Regina.”

“Ah,” Regina suddenly said, a new kind of smile playing on her lips. “That's the other thing.”

“What?”

“My name,” Regina said. “You can't use that in the bedroom.”

Just when Emma thought her mouth couldn't get any drier, Regina would throw out a comment like that in her silkiest voice, and it felt like the Sahara had been emptied onto her tongue.

“Okay,” she croaked. “What would you like me to call you?”

Regina smirked, and Emma knew exactly what she was going to say.

“I was Madam Mayor to you for a long time,” she said. “How about we stick with that?”

Emma nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Her knees were bouncing up and down and she had no idea how to stop them.

Regina glanced down at them. “I feel like you're getting impatient.”

“I am,” Emma said.

“Are you still nervous?”

“Very,” Emma admitted. “But I'm also excited, and extremely turned on. Those two are outweighing the first.”

Regina laughed. “That's precisely the combination I was hoping for.”

There was a beat of silence, and then she rose to her feet. She seemed taller somehow – more confident, more poised – and the sight of all her new, unspoken power made Emma's entire body go numb.

“Are you absolutely certain that you’re ready?” Regina asked. “You can take a moment if you need it.”

But Emma was already standing. “I don't. I'm ready now.”

She hadn't anticipated how close she would be to Regina. Her probing, dark eyes were only inches away and there was a new coolness in them that Emma hadn't expected.

“Excellent,” she said, her voice a low purring sound. “Then how about we go upstairs?”

Emma's breath caught as she replied, “Sure. Great. Sounds good.”

She could see Regina smirking as she brushed past her, but she didn't take offence. She could see what was happening – Regina's transformation was taking place in front of her very eyes, and the sight of it was so powerful and intoxicating that it was all Emma could do not to reach out and kiss her right then and there.

Instead, she followed Regina slowly through the door, trailing half a step behind her with her eyes fixed on the curve of her waist. She knew Regina was deliberately exaggerating the sway of her hips as she reached the staircase, and then the pout of her lips as she turned to check that Emma was still following her. She caught the dry–mouthed expression on her face before her green eyes snapped back up to look at her.

“Everything okay?” Regina asked, one hand resting on the banister. Emma nodded at once.

They continued on their way up the stairs, and it suddenly dawned on Emma that she'd never been upstairs in Regina's house before. Some perverse part of her wanted to stop and look around, and she felt herself pausing like she was about to ask permission to. Then Regina looked back at her, her gaze smouldering and her posture straighter than ever, and all thoughts of exploring vanished from her head.

Regina led her down the hall. Through the open door at the very end, Emma caught sight of an enormous bed groaning under the weight of cream-coloured cushions and pillowy throws – but before they could walk inside, Regina hesitated. She turned around to find Emma waiting diligently behind her.

Regina said, “As soon as we walk inside, I will consider us to have begun. Do you understand what that means?”

Emma swallowed through her dry mouth. “No bad mouthing. No talking back. I have to do as you say.”

“Very good. And what are your safe words?”

“Red, orange and green,” Emma recited.

“Are you going to remember them, Emma?” Regina asked, and the way she curled her tongue around those two measly syllables made Emma's knees go weak.

“I will. I promise.”

“And will you feel comfortable using them whenever you need to?”

“Yes, I will.”

“And why is that?” Regina asked, surprising her. Emma blinked.

“Because I trust you,” she said slowly, watching with some pleasure as Regina's face broke into a soft, uncertain smile.

“And I trust you,” Regina replied, pausing to wet her lips. “I trust you to use them if you need to, and I trust you to know that I will listen to you without hesitation. We are here for you – we are here to make _your_ fantasy happen, and I want this to be everything you imagined it would be. So if you want to stop, or pause, or you want to ask me to change things up, that's what the safe words are for. Please don't be afraid to use them.”

Emma reached out and touched her arm. “Thank you, Regina. But I mean it – I trust you.”

Regina forced down the full-body shiver that came from the feeling of Emma's fingertips against her forearm. She dreaded to think what the feeling of them elsewhere would do to her.

Except she wasn't dreading it in the slightest – it was all she could do not to grab Emma by her sweater and throw her into the room.

“Emma,” Regina said, her voice low. She saw Emma's eyes immediately grow wider. “Are you certain you're ready?”

Emma nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Good,” Regina said, a familiar wave of confidence washing over her. “Then get into the bedroom and don't say another damn word until I tell you to.”

Emma's expression shot from surprised to excited to lustful in one second flat, and she didn't hesitate before she did as Regina asked. Her legs felt strangely solid as they carried her into the bedroom, then brought her to a halt in the centre of the room.

Emma sucked in a breath and turned around to face Regina, but she didn't speak. She knew she could – nothing was technically stopping her. But Regina had told her not to, and that was somehow enough to make her not want to.

Regina followed her into the room and shut the door behind them with a decisive click. The sound of the key turning in the lock sent a shockwave running from Emma's toes up to the already pounding nerves between her thighs.

And then Regina turned around, and it was all Emma could do to keep breathing at all. There was a new look in Regina’s eyes that she'd never seen before – she looked calm, and in control, and somehow disinterested all at once. Her gaze locked with Emma’s and she paused, like she'd forgotten she was even there.

She took two steps forward, watching as the rise and fall of Emma's chest quickened. When she was directly in front of her, Regina glanced down.

“Get your shoes off in my bedroom,” she said. Then she brushed past her without another word, leaving Emma floundering in the middle of the room.

Emma blinked down at her boots, then bent down to unzip them. She gently peeled them off and set them down by the door. As she did so, she caught sight of her faded grey socks, and hesitated.

“Regina?”

She could hear Regina moving around behind her, but no response came. She swallowed.

“Regina?” she repeated.

From across the room, Regina's silky voice came floating back towards her.

“I am waiting for you to use the correct name, Miss Swan.”

Emma felt her cheeks turn bright pink. “Madam Mayor?”

“Yes?”

“Would you like me to take my socks off too?”

“If you like,” Regina responded. The indifference in her voice threw Emma – one of the main reasons she was there was because she was looking forward to the complete lack of control. She was expecting Regina to make all these decisions for her. Just being allowed to decide whether to leave her socks on was slightly disappointing.

Swallowing hard, Emma bent down and peeled them off. When she stood back upright, she suddenly knew that Regina was waiting directly behind her.

She froze, wanting desperately to turn around, but knowing that it was probably against the rules. She waited for Regina to do something – to touch her, to say her name, even just to tell her what to do next – but all she felt was the heavy weight of the silent presence right behind her.

Eventually Emma caved and turned her head. At once a hand shot up and gripped hold of her jaw, pushing her face back to where it should be.

“Not until I say so.”

Emma groaned, chastising herself, before she said, “I'm sorry.”

“That's quite alright,” Regina said, taking a step back. “But stay where you are until I say otherwise. You don't get another warning.”

“Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“Very good.”

It took Emma a few minutes to realise why Regina was doing this. The anticipation that was building up as the silence brewed around her was almost dizzying, starting off in Emma's frantically fizzing stomach, then moving down to the tingling tips of her fingers. She could hear Regina walking around, her high heels brushing over the soft carpet, and with every single step Emma felt her breathing turn shallower. She wished she hadn't taken her socks off, because she knew Regina must be able to see her toes wriggling against the carpet. Suddenly it seemed desperately important to her that Regina didn't see how much she'd affected her before she’d even touched her.

Emma took a deep, steadying breath and closed her eyes. Behind her, the movements seemed to have stopped.

And then the voice that she’d allowed to sneak into her head every single time Hook had touched her drifted across the room. “Turn around, Miss Swan.”

Emma did as she was told, and she found Regina perched on the edge of the bed waiting for her. Her long legs were crossed and her hands were resting on the mattress behind her. She was watching Emma with some amusement.

“I didn’t expect you to last that long.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. “You were testing me?”

“In a sense,” Regina mused. “But don't worry – you passed.”

Emma opened her mouth to snap at her, but at the last second remembered what her role was here. She pressed her lips back together without a word.

Regina raised her eyebrows. “Very good, Miss Swan.”

Although Emma couldn't tell if Regina was mocking her or genuinely praising her, she felt herself blush. “Thank you.”

Regina’s smile of pleasure made it all worth it. She lifted one of her hands from the bed and curled a finger in Emma’s direction. “Come here.”

Emma didn't have to be asked twice. She took a wobbly step forward, her fists clenched by her sides, and approached the bed as slowly as she could manage. When she was half a step away from Regina’s delicately crossed legs, she stopped.

Regina dropped her gaze to the floor before she allowed it to crawl freely back up Emma’s body, taking in her painted toenails, her skin-tight jeans, her new sweater. Her hair was perfectly curled in a way that it hadn’t been for months, and when she looked closer, she realised that Emma was in fact wearing lipstick. She had never seen that before.

“You look very beautiful, Miss Swan.”

The corners of Emma’s mouth twitched. “Thank you.”

“But you still look rather nervous.”

“I’m still wondering what to expect, Madam Mayor,” Emma responded. Regina raised an eyebrow.

“I told you we were going to take this slow,” she said, uncrossing her legs. Emma automatically glanced down at them. “Are you suggesting that you know better than me on this subject?”

There it was again – that cool, dangerously neutral tone that made Emma’s pussy clench. She shook her head at once.

“Of course not.”

“Good,” Regina said, her voice sharp. “Because what is my first rule?”

“You don’t like bratty subs.”

“Correct. Can you handle that one, simple condition?”

“Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“Are you sure? Because I’m more than happy to put a stop to this whole ordeal and send you home if not.”

A wave of desperation flooded through Emma’s body as she choked out, “No, Madam Mayor. I’m certain – I’ll do what you say.”

“Good. This won’t work out if you don’t. Now come closer.”

Emma glanced down. There was barely six inches of space between them, and the mere thought of stepping close enough for her jeans to brush against the fronts of Regina’s perfectly smooth legs made all the moisture in her mouth disappear.

Regina saw her hesitation and lifted her eyebrows. “I believe I gave you an order, Miss Swan.”

Her voice was filled with a warning that Emma recognised all too well. It reminded her of years before, when every encounter had been a battle and every conversation had been brimming with sharply worded threats. The only difference was that back then it had been a level playing field. Now Emma didn’t feel the same need to snap back at her just to prove herself – instead, she felt oddly disappointed with herself for not doing as she was told in the first place.

With her cheeks turning progressively redder, she took a step forward, placing her feet carefully on either side of Regina’s legs. She didn’t look up.

“Tell me why you’re here, Emma.”

Emma felt her breath hitch before she responded, “I’m here because I want to be.”

“That’s not a proper answer. Try again.”

Looking up as pleadingly as she could, Emma tried again. “I’m here because I want to be fucked by you.”

Regina smiled, holding out a hand, waiting for Emma to place hers in it. “Better. Now tell me what you want me to do to you.”

 _Oh, God_. Emma felt her fingers tremble against Regina’s. “I want you to make me beg.”

Regina’s eyebrows shot up. Against all odds, she looked slightly impressed.

“Are you sure about that?”

Emma nodded. “Pretty sure.”

“I think you may regret asking for it.”

Emma nearly laughed: she was _well_ aware that she would. But she didn’t care – she could feel her entire body starting to shiver and as much as she wanted Regina’s hands on her right that second, the thought of being made to wait for it was somehow a hundred times better.

“Is that my decision?” she asked, and the tiniest of smiles twisted at Regina’s lips.

“No,” she conceded. “You’re quite right. It’s not.”

She paused for a split second, letting her eyes drop to Emma’s sweater. Her smile faded.

“I’d like you to take that off now.”

Emma immediately looked uncertain. While she knew this would happen, and she knew exactly where this was going, there was a big difference between sitting in the sheriff station daydreaming about Regina peeling her sweater off and burying her face between her breasts, and actually taking her clothes off in front of her.

She glanced down at herself, and at once Regina squeezed on her hand. “Emma. Check in with me. What colour are we at?”

And that was all it took. Emma squeezed back. “We’re at green. I just needed a moment.”

“That’s fine. Do you want to pause for a bit longer?”

Emma answered in the only way she knew Regina would absolutely understand: she released her hand, took half a step backwards, and pulled her sweater over her head.

When she resurfaced from underneath the black material, Regina’s eyes were fixed unashamedly on her chest. Emma had bought a new bra especially for tonight – one that gave her cleavage for the first time in her life – and as soon as she caught sight of Regina’s expression, she knew it had been well worth the money.

Then those dark eyes snapped back up again, burning with something entirely new, and Regina said, “And your jeans. Quickly.”

Emma didn’t hesitate this time as she reached down to unbutton her pants, hurriedly shimmying them over her hips. She tugged them off as gracefully as she could manage before pushing them to one side with her foot. Then she paused, eyeing them. They were the only blot on an otherwise immaculate room, and she bent down to pick them up and fold them.

“Put them back down,” Regina snapped, smirking when Emma dropped them in surprise. “This isn’t camp, Miss Swan. I’m here to fuck you, not to give you chores.”

Emma realised then she would never tire of hearing Regina say that one forbidden word. She straightened up immediately, her toes curling against the carpet, and waited for Regina’s probing gaze to take her in.

Her eyes raked down Emma’s exposed body like fingernails, taking in the unexpected curve of her breasts, the slight dip of her waist, the black lace thong that barely covered her pussy. Regina pursed her lips, and it was the apathy on her face that threatened to tip Emma over the edge entirely. She was regarding her like she was something up for sale, and it was a sensation so powerfully arousing that Emma felt herself wobbling.

But before she could let herself get dragged under the feeling of not being able to hold herself upright, Regina was on her feet, sending Emma stumbling backwards for an entirely different reason. With Regina still in her heels and Emma barefoot on the carpet, Regina was finally taller than her, and the realisation only served to make her seem even more intimidating.

She took a step forward, reaching out to tuck a curl behind Emma’s ear. As soon as Emma leaned into the touch, Regina snatched her hand away again.

“Stand still,” she snapped, taking a step to one side. As she moved, she let her arm graze against Emma’s. She felt Emma jump like electricity had shot through her.

“You do look very beautiful, Miss Swan,” she murmured, moving behind her. She reached out a hand and let a single finger trace the line of Emma’s spine down from her neck to the two dents in the small of her back. Emma trembled when the finger reached the top of her panties. “Do you always wear these?”

“No,” Emma said. “I bought these for tonight.”

“For what purpose?”

“I thought you might like them.”

“You thought right,” Regina said, taking a step closer. Her breasts brushed against Emma’s back and she allowed herself to reach out, placing a hand on either side of her narrow waist. “I’ll like them even more when they’re on my bedroom floor, though. Or perhaps shoved into that pretty little mouth of yours to stop you from making too much noise.”

Emma’s head dropped forwards slightly, the tightly defined muscles in her shoulders quivering. “I would like that.”

“I don’t care what you would like,” Regina said, stepping backwards. Emma groaned at the loss of contact. “We aren’t here to please you.”

“No,” Emma said, her fists opening and closing by her sides. “I’m sorry.”

“Apology not accepted,” Regina said. “Take a step forward.”

Emma did as she was told.

“And another. Until you’re by the bed.”

Swallowing, Emma edged forwards until her legs were flush against the edge of the mattress. Just walking was agony – her pussy was throbbing, and she could feel the tug of her wet panties against it whenever she moved. She was grateful when she could stop, until the loss of even that tiniest bit of friction became her newest problem.

She took a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut, and tried to focus on anything else in the world.

“Bend over, Miss Swan.”

Emma groaned as she did so, placing her hands flat on the bed and leaning her weight on them. She should have felt exposed standing like that, with her ass in the air for Regina’s viewing pleasure, but she didn’t. She felt something much deeper, something that was humiliating and arousing all at once.

“I’ve had my eye on this for a while,” Regina said, stepping up alongside her. Emma swallowed. Her curls had fallen in front of her face, but through the gaps she could see the redness of Regina’s dress next to her hip. She didn’t see her hand reach out, however, and the sudden touch of a palm brushing over her ass made her jump. “It looks magnificent in jeans, but I have to say, it looks even better like this.”

“Thank you, Madam Mayor.”

Regina smirked. Then, before she could give Emma time to brace herself, she lifted her hand back and brought it smacking down against her beautifully smooth skin.

Emma gasped, rising up onto the balls of her feet, but to her credit she didn’t try and pull away. Regina rubbed her hand over the slightly pink patch of skin, and a shiver so intense that it made her every muscle spasm ran down Emma’s back.

“How was that?” Regina asked.

“It was good,” Emma murmured, trying to ignore the newest wave of wetness that had come flooding from her cunt. She swallowed. “Thank you.”

“That’s about as light as it will ever get,” Regina warned, raising her hand again. Emma automatically flinched, but no pain followed. She heard a soft chuckle from behind her. “I never said I would make this easy for you, Miss Swan.”

“I know.”

“Do you think you’d like it harder?”

“Yes, please.”

Regina obliged, bringing her hand down on the opposite side of Emma’s ass with double the ringing force. She realised then that there was nothing more beautiful than the sight of Emma’s whole body convulsing from shock, simultaneously trying to pull away from her touch and lean back into it. Regina spanked her three more times in quick succession, relishing the stinging pain in her palm, and bristled slightly when Emma didn’t cry out.

“Was that not hard enough?”

Emma paused before admitting, “I think I can take harder.”

She almost regretted it when Regina’s palm slapped against her ass so viciously that it felt like she’d used a belt. She threw her head back in surprise, her curls skittering across her shoulders, but before she could allow it fall forwards again, she felt the unfamiliar grip of a hand fisting in her hair.

Emma glanced to her right and found herself faced with Regina’s cool stare. She had a tight grip on her hair, stopping Emma from pulling away, and the feeling of her nails digging into her scalp made Emma moan out loud.

“Does this hurt?” Regina asked.

“Yes,” Emma said, her voice trembling.

“Would you like me to let go?”

Emma shook her head without hesitation. “No.”

And so, naturally, Regina released her at once, relishing her mew of disappointment. She took a step back, admiring the red hand marks on Emma’s ass, and felt a renewed throb in her pussy.

“Take your underwear off, Miss Swan.”

Emma shook herself to attention, ignoring the head rush that threatened to topple her over as soon as she stood upright. Without turning around, she reached behind her and unhooked her bra. After it had dropped to the floor, she reached down and hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her thong.

Suddenly a warm body was pressed up against her back, and two hands covered her own. Regina forced Emma to stop moving, leaving her panties where they were, and pressed a kiss against the back of her neck.

“You’re getting good at following orders,” she murmured, breathing in the now-familiar smell of her. Emma flushed with pleasure.

“Thank you.”

Regina pushed Emma’s hands away, letting them to fall back to her sides, before slowly allowing her own fingers to creep around her body. They settled below Emma’s navel, just inches away from her aching cunt, and without thinking, Emma pressed herself back against Regina’s body to try and gain some more contact.

At once Regina stepped away, giving Emma a menacing shove forwards so that she collapsed onto the bed.

“Did I tell you to do that?” she demanded. She wasn’t disappointed, because she’d known exactly what Emma would do. But she could hear from the whimper of displeasure that Emma released into the mattress that she was disappointed with herself.

“No, Madam Mayor, I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”

“Do try to, dear,” Regina said, stepping up alongside her dangling feet and delivering a vicious blow to her left ass cheek. Emma bucked up automatically. “As much as I enjoy admiring this pretty little head of yours, I'd appreciate it if you considered utilising what’s inside it, too.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Are you?” Regina asked, leaning across the bed so that she could brush Emma’s hair away from her face. Emma nodded, her eyes wide.

“I am.”

“What will you do to make it up to me?”

“Whatever you want me to do,” Emma responded automatically. The lace of her thong was beginning to grate against her soaked clit and it was taking all of her self control not to grind her hips against the bed. 

“A good answer,” Regina said, standing upright once more. “Please get up.”

Emma struggled off the bed, her breathing heavy and her ass stinging. She planted herself as firmly on her feet as she could, directly in front of Regina, and waited for further instruction. When she glanced up, Regina was smirking at her.

“You look uncomfortable.”

Emma wetted her lips, unsure of what she should say to that. Regina knew perfectly well what was wrong, and what state she’d wound Emma up into. There she was, still fully dressed, still wearing her tallest black heels and her immaculate red lipstick, her arms crossed over her chest like she was surveying a car showroom, whereas Emma could only imagine what she must look like. She could feel the wetness of her pussy starting to trickle down the inside of her thighs, and when she glanced down she could see a mottled red flush starting to spread across her naked chest. She was panting, and she felt like a crazy person – and all this had come from the sound of Regina’s voice, the feeling of her palm slapping against her skin, and the knowledge that she was completely and utterly powerless in her hands.

When Emma didn’t respond, Regina stepped towards her, reaching out to gently take hold of Emma’s chin.

“What seems to be the problem, Miss Swan?”

Emma growled, startling herself with the low, guttural sound that bubbled up from her chest. “You _know_ what the problem is.”

Regina squeezed slightly harder on her cheeks. “Less of that attitude, please, or the next spanking you receive will be considerably less enjoyable. Now answer my question.”

Emma swallowed, trying to speak around the confines of Regina’s fingers pressed over her jaw. “I need to be touched properly.”

Regina raised her eyebrows. “Define ‘properly’.”

Gritting her teeth, Emma responded, “I need you to fuck me.”

“So soon?” Regina asked, loosening her grip on Emma’s face. “I do recall you asking me to make you beg. I’ve heard nothing of the sort so far.”

As soon as the words had come out of Regina's mouth, Emma responded by belligerently thrusting her jaw forwards. Regina shoved her backwards into the wall without hesitation, her eyes flashing.

“Do _not_ ,” she hissed into Emma's ear as she pushed the full length of her body against her, “pout at me. Apologise.”

She felt Emma swallow before she mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

“No, you aren’t,” Regina scoffed, pulling back. Emma was watching her with wide, glossy eyes, still panting like she’d run a marathon. “You’re sulking. Do you want me to leave now without touching you at all? Is that what you’re aiming for? Because that’s the way we’re headed.”

“No,” Emma said at once. God, she wanted to reach out and touch Regina’s waist, to pull her close and dig her teeth into that pouty bottom lip. “No, I’m sorry. Please. I just…”

“What?” Regina demanded, raising her chin. She could feel Emma trembling against her.

“I just, I haven’t even gotten to kiss you yet and—”

Her words were cut off when Regina pressed her mouth aggressively against her lips, pinning her to the wall with more strength than Emma could have thought possible. Her kisses were demanding and consuming, and as her tongue curled its way around Emma’s, her fingers fiercely scraped through her mess of blonde hair. When Emma lifted her hands and slid them around Regina’s waist, she didn’t push her away. If anything, she melted further into Emma’s body, pushing her hips forward and sighing gently into her open mouth. But when Emma’s hands moved down three inches and skimmed over the curve of Regina’s ass, she stopped being so receptive.

Regina reached behind her, snatched up Emma’s hands and pinned them against the wall beside her head. Her knee slid between Emma’s legs and she fought not to moan out loud when she felt the soaked material of Emma’s panties grind against her skin.

As she buried her face in the hollow of Emma’s throat, Regina muttered, “Marks, yes or no?”

Emma responded with a groan, and Regina realised then that she wasn’t in a position to answer proper questions.

“Let’s stick with no for tonight,” she said, gently nipping at her neck. “But if we do this again, I plan to leave this beautiful throat black and blue for a week.”

Emma’s back arched away from the wall and she tugged slightly against Regina’s grip. “From kisses?”

Regina pulled away, meeting her gaze with a fiery certainty. “Perhaps. Or maybe from wrapping my fingers around it and waiting for you to beg me to stop.”

Emma didn’t try and stop herself from moaning. Digging her teeth into her bottom lip, she nodded furiously. “I would like that.”

Regina smirked. “Excellent. But not tonight – I have other plans for you.”

And before Emma could ask what those plans were, Regina tugged her away from the wall and pushed her towards the bed once more. Emma collapsed back onto the mattress without ever taking her eyes off of the woman stood in front of her.

Without preamble, Regina crawled on top of her, holding her body just inches away. She dipped her head as she moved, letting her tongue trace a path from Emma’s navel up to between her breasts, and when she was finally there, she buried her face in them, leaving a trail of wet kisses across her skin.

She was waiting for Emma to reach up and cup the back of her head, and it didn’t take long. The second she felt a set of desperate fingers winding through her dark hair, Regina sat bolt upright, snatching up Emma’s wrists in her hands and pinning them down to the bed.

“Why are you finding it so difficult to follow instructions?” she asked, her legs straddled across Emma’s hips. She leaned her entire weight on her hands, stopping Emma from even attempting to pull her wrists free. “Do you _enjoy_ antagonising me?”

Emma hesitated, and Regina knew what the honest answer would be. She released one of Emma’s arms and used her free hand to grab hold of her jaw instead, forcing her to meet her gaze.

“Do you?” she hissed, her face bent so low that their noses were nearly touching.

She caught a glimmer of a tear in Emma’s eye before she forced out a muffled, “No.”

“You’re a liar,” Regina sneered, releasing her face and placing both of her hands on Emma’s exposed breasts. As her fingers crept their way around Emma’s nipples, she felt the woman below her shiver. “Do you know what I do with liars?”

Emma shook her head, blinking back her tears.

“I punish them,” Regina said, suddenly pinching Emma’s nipples hard enough to make her shriek.

“Stop that,” Regina said, squeezing harder. Emma’s entire back arched off of the bed and her hands gripped hold of the sheets with such ferocity that Regina thought they might rip. To anyone else, it might have looked like Emma was in agonising pain – and, to a certain extent, she was – but Regina knew differently. She’d grown accustomed to the hiss of breath between someone’s teeth as the wave of pain became overtaken by a dull, throbbing pleasure. She recognised the look on their face when they wanted to scream every swear word they knew, every damned insult they could think of, but they weren't for a single second considering saying ‘red’.

Regina released Emma’s breasts and stepped back onto the carpet, curling her fingers through Emma’s thong and tugging it abruptly from her body. Emma lifted her head, her eyes wide and brimming with tears, and found Regina dangling her panties from one finger with a look of unmistakable scorn on her face.

“Would you care to explain this, Miss Swan?”

Emma pushed herself up onto her elbows, swallowing hard. “Explain what?”

“This,” Regina snapped, throwing the panties onto her stomach. As soon as they made contact with her skin, Emma could feel how wet the fabric was. Her cheeks turned purple.

“I…”

“Have you been _enjoying_ this?” Regina demanded, climbing back onto her knees on either side of Emma’s legs. She reached out for Emma’s shoulder and shoved her back down onto the mattress. “I’ve been treating you like the stupid little girl you are, and you’re soaking wet. Did you know that? Could you feel it happening?”

At that moment, Emma could feel a _million_ things happening. She could feel her fingers starting to spark and her feet going cold. She could feel her heart pounding at a thousand beats per minute. She could feel another surge of wetness seeping from her pussy as Regina’s cruel words rained down on her, and she could feel herself willing her to continue. To say worse. To do more.

“Yes,” she choked out, closing her eyes. Immediately a hand slapped against the inside of her thigh, and her eyelids shot back open again.

“You will look at me when I’m talking to you,” Regina said, slapping the other thigh for good measure and sneering when Emma hissed with pain. “Tell me why you’re so wet.”

Emma was sniffing rapidly as she forced out, “Because you turned me on, Madam Mayor.” She looked disgusted by how pleading her own voice sounded.

“How?” Regina asked, incredulous. She grabbed the thong off of Emma’s stomach and tossed it to one side like it was garbage. “Does it make you feel good when I treat you like a whore?”

“Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“Are you wet right now?”

“ _Yes_.”

“Touch yourself,” Regina demanded, sitting back. “Show me how wet you are.”

Emma hesitated, wondering if this was some kind of trick. But Regina’s gaze was fiery and expectant, and so she did as she was told, sliding two fingers over her cunt and groaning out loud when she felt just how soaked it was. As her fingers slipped easily inside, she felt a familiar fluttering in her muscles. As her walls clenched around her fingertips, she recognised the slickness of a pussy that had waited far too long to be fucked like this.

“Take them out,” Regina said, watching with raised eyebrows as Emma whimpered in dismay. She slowly pulled her fingers free, wincing as they brushed over her swollen clit. As she went to place her hand back on the bed, Regina stopped her, grabbing hold of her wrist with vice-like fingers.

She slowly lifted Emma’s hand to her mouth and slid her fingers inside. Emma’s eyes widened, never blinking, unable to tear themselves away from the sight of her long digits disappearing between Regina’s perfectly painted lips. She could feel her tongue swirling around them, followed by the faint vibration of Regina’s voice as she hummed with pleasure.

“You taste delicious,” she murmured as she pulled them free.

“Thank you,” Emma whispered. Regina pushed Emma’s hand down once more, guiding it back towards her soaked cunt. She helped her fingers slip back inside, and once more Emma’s eyes fluttered shut.

“Eyes open, Miss Swan,” Regina ordered. “If you close your eyes, you don’t get to come.”

Emma’s head shot up in surprise. “You’re going to let me come now?”

“I don’t believe I said that,” Regina mused, scraping her nails lightly over Emma’s ribcage. “Now, continue.”

She watched with ravenous hunger as Emma slipped her fingers back inside, her chest hitching and her eyes – for now, at least – staying wide open. Regina could see the wetness shimmering around Emma’s folds and across the insides of her thighs. She could _hear_ how wet she was. The almost obscene sucking noises that came from her cunt every time she pushed her fingers back inside made every cell in Regina’s body spark, and she was surprised by how long she managed to resist before she finally grabbed Emma’s wrist and pushed it out of the way.

“Get up by the pillows,” Regina said, sitting back to give Emma room to wriggle out from beneath her. She shuffled backwards, her eyes on Regina the whole time, until she was settled back against the cushions with her wild hair spread around her.

Regina followed her, crawling slowly on her hands and knees, and relished the way that Emma seemed to shrink back as she approached. Her legs were slightly spread and there was an excited, pink flush in her cheeks. Regina realised with a twinge that she’d never looked more beautiful.

Settling down between her legs, Regina asked as casually as she could, “Do you remember what you asked me for?”

Emma clenched her teeth. “Yes.”

“Remind me. What was it?”

“I asked you to make me beg, Madam Mayor.”

Regina rested her temple against Emma’s bent leg, leisurely dragging one finger down the centre of Emma’s cunt.

“Oh, yes,” she said, not lifting her eyes. “How forgetful of me.”

She paused, allowing herself to enjoy the sound of Emma’s frantic breathing for a few moments, before she asked. “Do you still want that?”

Emma’s voice was choked as she answered, “Yes.”

“Good,” Regina said. “Because I wouldn’t have listened if you’d said no.”

Before Emma could react, Regina buried her face in between her legs, lapping up the taste of her with the full length of her tongue and moaning against her skin like she’d been waiting for this moment her entire life.

Emma gasped, her body arching up to meet Regina’s mouth and her hands automatically lifting to slide through her dark hair. This time, Regina let her. She wrapped her arms around Emma’s thighs and tugged her closer, so there wasn’t a millimetre of space between her lips and Emma’s dripping pussy.

The noises that began to fall from Emma’s mouth were as intoxicating as they were surprising – Regina had never heard her sound so thankful, so lost, so utterly out of control before. She was sighing and whimpering and letting her soft cries reach a wanton crescendo without a single thought for how she might look or sound. And Regina was unbearably grateful for that fact, because the simple truth of the matter was that she looked and sounded like everything she had ever dreamed of.

And god, the _taste_ of her. Regina had been waiting for this for years, since the very first moment Emma had turned up at her door, but not even in her wildest, filthiest fantasies had she ever imagined that Emma could possibly taste so sweet. For a split second she thought to herself that it was probably from all the pastries she consumed at the sheriff station, and the thought was somehow more erotic than it was amusing. She suddenly wanted absolutely nothing more than to spend the rest of her night licking up the taste of it.

But then she heard the telltale signs of Emma spiralling towards her first orgasm, and Regina’s movements stopped being about giving pleasure and returned to being about control. As Emma bucked her hips forward, her grip on Regina’s hair getting tighter, Regina lifted her head slightly and took in Emma’s face. Just as she had expected, her eyes had fluttered shut.

Grinning to herself, Regina dragged her tongue firmly, almost roughly up her soaked core, and just as she heard the breathless moans starting to squeeze from Emma’s throat, she pulled away from her.

When she realised what had happened, Emma nearly screamed. “Wh… what??”

Regina was disentangling herself from Emma’s greedy fingers, shrugging quite calmly.

“I did warn you.”

“Warn me about _what_?” Emma demanded, her confusion almost dizzying. Every muscle in her body was clenching and unclenching, and she already felt exhausted from fighting through the overwhelming disappointment. She swallowed, choking down tears for the second time that evening.

Kneeling between her legs, Regina reached out for both of Emma’s hands and tugged her forwards, forcing her to sit upright.

“About what would happen if you closed your eyes,” Regina murmured, snaking a hand beneath Emma’s hair and guiding her forwards for a greedy kiss. Emma was still panting furiously, and Regina could feel her hesitation as she caught the first taste of herself on the other woman’s lips. But it didn’t take long before she began to melt into the kiss, and a moment later her tongue was delving inside Regina’s mouth, desperately lapping up more of the delicious new sensation.

As they pulled apart, Emma muttered, “You only said I had to keep my eyes open when you were talking to me.”

Her belligerence would have been endearing in any other circumstance, but at that moment, it was most unwelcome. Regina narrowed her eyes, pushing Emma back down onto the bed.

“And _you_ said that you wanted to beg for it,” she hissed, delivering a shocking slap to Emma’s soaked pussy. Emma bucked upwards, her eyes wide as saucers, and tried to cover herself up. “Put those hands back where they were. You just earned yourself three more.”

Emma was already whimpering as her head crashed back down to the mattress, but by the time Regina had finished slapping the palm of her hand against her wet core, she was close to shouting out loud.

“What do you say?” Regina asked coolly, crawling on top of her and letting her hair dangle down in front of her face. Emma was gnawing on her bottom lip, fighting through the simultaneous stinging pain and throbbing desire in her clit.

“I’m sorry,” she choked out.

Sliding her hands back onto Emma’s breasts and gently squeezing them, Regina prompted, “You’re sorry, what?”

“I’m sorry, Madam Mayor. I shouldn’t have disrespected you.”

A smile appeared on Regina’s lips as she ducked her head forward, pressing her mouth softly against Emma’s. “Good girl.”

The whimper that slipped from Emma’s lips surprised them both. Regina’s raised her eyebrows, pulling away slightly.

“Do you like it when I call you that?”

Emma nodded, her cheeks turning pink. Regina rubbed a thumb over one of them.

“Don’t blush,” she said, letting Emma lean into her touch. She needed her to come back down from the dizzying high of her ruined orgasm before they could start again anyway. “You don’t need to be embarrassed by any of this.”

“It’s hard not to be,” Emma said, her voice gradually getting calmer. “I’m a wreck, I just nearly came all over your tongue, and meanwhile you don’t seem to be even slightly affected by any of this.”

Regina couldn’t help but laugh. “You really are ridiculous. I’m just better at hiding it than you are.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. “Do I ever get to find that out for myself?”

“Oh, you most certainly do,” Regina said, planting another kiss on Emma’s lips before she climbed off the bed. “But not yet. We still have the matter of you begging to attend to.”

And just like that, Emma’s slowly recovering pussy was throbbing once more. She groaned, arching her body off the bed.

“Take a moment to calm down,” Regina said, walking towards her closet without looking back. “As soon as you feel ready to continue, I’d like you to turn over onto your stomach.”

“How long do I have?”

“As long as you need. We have all night.”

Emma couldn’t help but smile to herself. Regina, of all people, was turning out to be the most patient lover she’d ever had – and that was after she’d just spent 10 minutes torturing her pussy to breaking point.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing the ache in her cunt to subside. She was slowly learning that this wasn’t going to be like any other sexual encounter she’d had – this was more of a marathon than a sprint, and she had to get herself under control if she hoped to make it to the finish line.

 _God_ , she thought to herself, gently stretching out her legs before she flipped over onto her stomach. _If that was what the starting pistol felt like, the finish line might finish you altogether._

She buried her face in a pillow for a second, hiding her grin. The fabric smelled like Regina.

After a few moments she heard Regina’s soft footsteps behind her, but she knew better than to look around. She pulled her face out of the pillow and rested her chin on top of it.

“Ready, Miss Swan?”

Emma nodded. “Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“What colour are we at?”

“Green all the way.”

“Very good,” Regina said, tossing the item that she’d brought with her onto the bed by Emma’s feet. Emma’s toes curled when she heard it drop. “Then I’d like you to shift forward a bit, until you can touch the headboard.”

Emma did as she was told, edging her body forward like a snake. She stopped when her fingertips reached the heavy wooden bedframe.

“Hold onto one of those slats, would you, dear?”

The sound of Regina’s voice, so cool and so scheming, made her shudder. Emma did as instructed, holding onto the centremost wooden bar as tightly as she could.

She jumped when she felt Regina climb on top of her, straddling the dip of her waist. Then, with an entirely new jolt of shock, Emma realised she could feel the heat of Regina’s own soaked panties against the small of her back. She could have wept.

“Something the matter?” Regina asked. Emma shook her head immediately.

“Not at all.”

“Good. Then be quiet and keep your hands where they are.”

Emma didn’t dare breathe, much less pull her hands away. She waited, feeling Regina moving around on top of her but unable to tell what exactly she was doing. Then she felt the trail of a long piece of fabric tickling against her shoulders and she nearly bucked Regina off of her entirely.

“Stay _still_ ,” Regina said, reaching behind her and delivering a ferocious slap to her ass. Emma bit down on her lip, burying her face in the pillow below her.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered through the fabric, and Regina snorted.

“There’s a lot of apologising going on tonight,” she muttered. “I’m starting to feel like you’re acting up just to get punished.”

This wasn’t entirely accurate, but Emma hesitated, realising that it did in fact sound like something she would do. Regina laughed again.

“You haven’t experienced true punishment yet,” she said, holding the fabric in both of her hands. “Think about that.”

She leaned forwards, her body pressing down on the back of Emma’s head, and looped the fabric around her arms. She saw Emma’s fingers twitch with anticipation.

“This is one of my favourite scarves,” Regina said casually, referring to the red silk item that she was currently knotting around Emma’s wrists. “I didn’t want to start you off with anything too daunting, so you get the pleasure of using this. If you tear it, I really will be forced to punish you. Do you understand?”

Emma nodded, the back of her head brushing against Regina’s chest. She could feel that the restraints weren’t especially tight – if she really wanted to, she probably could have pulled herself loose. But that, she realised, was the point. They were a reminder, nothing more, and if she suddenly felt like she needed to pull herself free of them, she wouldn’t have a hard time doing so.

When Regina had finished securing her hands, she sat back upright. “They’re not too tight?”

Emma lifted her head out of the pillow and gingerly tugged on the makeshift restraints. They fit snugly around her wrists, but that was all.

“They’re perfect.”

Regina reached underneath her and grabbed hold of the cushion that was squashed beneath her head. “Were you suffocating in there?”

Emma giggled. “A little.”

“You should have said,” Regina said, pulling it free and tossing it onto the floor.

“I didn’t mind,” Emma admitted, wriggling slightly under Regina’s weight. “I liked the feeling of you… pinning me down.”

Regina was grateful that Emma couldn’t see her arrogant smile as she clambered off her. “Well then. I’m sorry I took it away, but I really would prefer you to be conscious for this.”

Emma rested her forehead on her outstretched arms, grinning to herself. At once she felt a swat to the back of her left thigh.

“Ow!” she yelped, trying to look around. “What was that for?”

“You were laughing,” Regina said, pushing her head back down. “You’re not taking this seriously.”

“I can’t help it if you’re making me laugh,” Emma protested, expecting to receive another slap to her leg. Instead, Regina’s hand suddenly slid beneath her throat, grasping hold of her jaw and pulling her face up. Emma gasped as her head was forced awkwardly backwards.

Regina bent down and pressed her mouth against Emma’s ear.

“Are you laughing now, Miss Swan?” she drawled, letting her tongue creep out and flick at Emma’s earlobe. Emma whimpered.

“No,” she said, her giggles vanishing as quickly as they’d come. Regina adjusted her position so that Emma could see her out the corner of her eye.

“Do you like being able to sit down?” she asked, watching as confusion took over her face.

“Do I…?”

“Because if you laugh at me again,” Regina warned, her spare hand reaching up to push Emma’s hair back from her face, “I will spank your ass raw. Do you think I am joking?”

The fervour in Emma’s headshake was oddly charming. “No, of course not.”

“Good,” Regina said, letting her head drop back down again. “Then we understand each other.”

She reached out and trailed her nails down Emma’s back as she walked slowly down the length of the bed, taking in Emma’s body: stretched out, naked and gleaming with sweat.

“Get on your knees, Miss Swan.”

Emma hesitated, wondering how she was meant to do that with her hands bound. Regina slapped her across the ass without waiting for her to attempt to move, and cackled when Emma shrieked in surprise.

“Do it,” Regina said, leaning over her and rubbing a hand over her pink skin. “Now.”

Emma forced one leg up beneath her, entirely distracted by the feeling of Regina’s fingers on her body, and then, after several failed starts, pulled the other leg up to join it. With both of her knees tucked beneath her body and her arms still outstretched in front of her, she felt like she was in a very peculiar yoga pose.

“Very nice,” Regina said, standing upright. “But now I want you to put this delicious ass in the air. Arch your back.”

Her movements were wobbly, but Emma managed to do as she was told. She found herself with her head resting on her forearms, her spine curved in a gentle arc and her ass stuck up high in the air. She was glad her face was hidden, because she knew it must have turned puce.

“I told you not to be embarrassed,” Regina said, spying her tensed shoulders. “I wish I could show you how beautiful you look.”

Emma swallowed. “Thank you.”

“And – oh, Emma,” Regina sighed, climbing up onto the bed behind her and kneeling between her feet. “What’s this?”

For a second Emma floundered, wondering what Regina had discovered. But before her mind could spiral into thoughts of forgotten back tattoos or a patch of hair that she’d missed while waxing, she felt the sudden touch of Regina’s fingers grazing over her cunt.

“You’re still dripping,” Regina murmured, sliding her sticky fingers into her mouth and moaning with wonderment as she tasted them. “That’s a flavour I will never get tired of.”

She put her wet fingers back between Emma’s legs and let the full width of her hand glide flatly over the soaked skin. Emma groaned, her shoulders lifting up as she willed Regina to plunge as many of those fingers into her as she dared.

She nearly burst into tears when instead she felt Regina’s tongue take their place, gliding slowly, torturously over her pussy.

“Oh my god,” she gasped, biting down on her arm. The feeling was indescribable, somehow intimate and outrageously filthy at the same time, and she felt the orgasm that she’d been denied only 10 minutes before start to come crawling back to her. “Oh my _god_.”

Placing her hands on Emma’s hips, Regina held her firmly against her face, letting her tongue furiously lap up her wetness and spread it further around her aching core. She could feel Emma grinding back against her and she knew that her toes were curling, her fingers gripping fiercely onto the bedpost for support, but she didn’t let up. This orgasm was going to come quicker than the last one, and she needed to bring Emma as close to the edge as she possibly could before it all got too much.

She lifted her right hand and smacked it down hard on Emma’s ass, smirking to herself at the delicious sound she made. It was a cross between a cry and a moan, and Regina knew she wanted more. So who was she to deny her that?

Her left hand slapped down on the other side of her body and Emma rocked forwards on her knees, feeling the orgasm building up inside her like fire. That familiar weightlessness was beginning to take over her limbs and god, the stars that were sparking up behind her closed eyelids were blinding.

“Yes, _yes_ , Regina,” she gasped, rocking back again, shamelessly pressing herself against Regina’s face and twitching violently as that tight spiral inside her began to quicken. “Yes yes yes yes _yes_ , please, _god_.”

She was so close, and Regina knew it. It almost hurt her to stop.

Emma screamed out loud when she did, her body collapsing sideways onto the bed. She couldn’t stop herself from crying this time.

Regina kneeled over her, the delicious taste of her still on her lips, and pushed the damp hair away from her face.

“Oh dear,” she murmured, watching the thick mascara tracks that were already ebbing down her cheeks. “Did that disappoint you?”

She knew Emma was going to swear at her – she would have been disappointed if she hadn’t – but she wasn’t quite prepared for the ferocity of it as she spat out, “I fucking _hate_ you.”

Then, silence. They both seemed to realise at the exact same time what had just happened, and if Emma’s hands had been free, she would have clapped one of them across her mouth.

Regina looked coldly down at her, her hand still resting on her face. Emma was panting, her entire body rising up and down against the sheets as she tried to calm herself down, and though she was still crying from sheer fury, she was slowly starting to look afraid.

“I see,” Regina said, pulling away from her and getting to her feet. Emma knew there was little point in apologising – she’d broken Regina’s first rule, and she could see from the furious line of her jaw that she wasn’t about to be forgiven any time soon – but she tried nonetheless.

“Regina,” Emma started, then corrected herself. “Madam Mayor – I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

Regina was walking over to the dresser, her chin held high and her posture rigid. She felt an urgent throbbing in her cunt as she moved, reaching into the top drawer and pulling out the item that she’d suspected she’d be needing at some point tonight.

“Are you?” she asked casually, testing the weight of the paddle in her hand. It was made from light wood and was coated in soft, padded leather on one side. It was about the tamest implement she owned, but when she turned around with it, Emma’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

“What is _that_?”

“You were in the middle of apologising, Miss Swan,” Regina said, her voice cold, as she approached the bed once more. She stopped by Emma's head, enjoying the way that she could loom over her with the paddle dangling from one hand. “Continue.”

Choking back a whimper, Emma garbled, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.”

“Say what?”

Emma swallowed. “That I hate you.”

Regina’s jaw clenched. “Now, Emma. That isn’t quite what you said, is it?”

Another tear slipped down Emma’s cheek. “I’m sorry for saying that I… I fucking hate you.”

“Ah yes, that was it,” Regina sighed, looking up at the ceiling with a faint shake of her head. “Just remind me, Miss Swan, in case I’d imagined our earlier conversation – what did I tell you that I don’t like in the bedroom?”

Emma heaved back a sob as she answered, “Bratty subs.”

“That’s it,” Regina said, beginning to move towards Emma’s legs. “I thought so. And what did I tell you that I expect from you in here?”

“Respect,” Emma said, squeezing her eyes shut. She could feel the shame oozing out of her. “You want respect.”

“Correct,” Regina said, lifting the paddle without warning and hitting Emma’s ass with a vicious cracking sound. Emma’s body bucked against it, but she didn’t make a noise – the shock was worse than the pain, and in that moment she couldn’t remember how to cry out. “Is telling me that you ‘fucking hate’ me showing me respect, Emma?”

“No,” Emma whimpered as the paddle came down on her ass a second time, and then a third. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

“Just how sorry are you?” Regina asked, bringing the paddle down again on the other side of her body. She watched the colour blooming in Emma’s skin and hummed with pleasure.

“W… what?”

“On a scale of one to 10,” Regina asked, dragging the paddle slowly over the curve of Emma’s buttocks. “How sorry are you?”

“10,” Emma said at once, panting heavily. “11.”

“Which is it? 10 or 11?”

“11, Madam Mayor.”

“Excellent answer,” Regina said, giving Emma’s ass a gentle squeeze before she placed the paddle back against her skin. “You’ve already survived four blows. So that makes it seven more, I believe.”

Emma could have screamed, and yet somehow she found herself lifting her ass slightly higher in the air. Her skin was burning and the muscles in her shoulders were on fire from fighting through the pain, and yet blossoming underneath it all was a sick, perverse pleasure that threatened to make her come then and there.

Regina delivered the next three blows in quick succession, enjoying the way that Emma’s groans of pain became more strangled with each swipe. With the 10th, she let out an agonised shriek.

“Come on now,” Regina sighed, returning to the head of the bed so she could lift Emma’s chin in her hand. “Is it really as bad as all that?”

And god, Emma longed to scream at her again. She had a thousand curse words all reserved especially for her. But the stinging pain in her ass was a friendly reminder of just what the difference was between a pleasurable spanking and a punishing one, and so she kept her mouth firmly shut. She shook her head without a word.

“I didn’t think so,” Regina said calmly, brushing her thumb under Emma’s eye to wipe away the latest tear. “Are these tears something that I need to be worried about?”

Emma shook her head again.

“Where are we?” Regina asked, her voice suddenly softer, and it wasn’t so hard for Emma to answer.

“Green, Madam Mayor.”

Regina’s gaze became colder again.

“Good,” she said, grazing her thumb over Emma's cheek. “One more to go, then. Do you think you’ll have learned your lesson by then?”

Emma gulped back her tears, nodding. “Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“Are you going to talk back to me again?”

“No, I won't. I promise.”

“Very good,” Regina said, letting Emma’s face drop back to the sheets and returning to her position alongside her thighs. “Then I may be able to forgive you.”

She lifted the paddle and brought it down on Emma’s skin with as much force as she could muster. Emma screamed into the sheets, her body rearing up into the air and her fingers clawing desperately at the wooden headrest.

Then, without warning, two fingers were shoved abruptly into her cunt, and she nearly screamed for an entirely different reason.

Regina let out a low cackle from behind her. “You _loved_ that, didn’t you? You are dripping onto my sheets, Miss Swan. You loved being punished for your filthy fucking mouth, didn’t you?”

Emma knew she couldn’t deny it. Her hips were thrusting forwards of their own accord, half trying to get away from Regina’s torturous fingers and half trying to grind furiously against the bed to finally get that release she’d been craving since she'd walked into that house. Regina immediately pulled her fingers free and returned to the head of the bed, grabbing a fistful of Emma’s hair with her spare hand as she pushed her wet fingers towards her mouth.

“Open,” she demanded, and Emma did as she was told. She wasn’t used to the taste of her own sticky arousal yet, but on Regina’s fingers, it somehow tasted good. She licked them clean, swirling her tongue around them, and moaned with disappointment when Regina pulled them free.

“Say thank you, Emma,” Regina scolded, and at once Emma choked out her gratitude.

“Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thank you.”

“That’s very good,” Regina said, releasing her hair once more. She gently stroked a hand over Emma’s head before walking back down the bed. “Have you learned your lesson?”

“I have,” Emma moaned, her voice muffled by the sheets.

“Speak up please, dear,” Regina said, climbing onto the bed and kneeling between Emma’s spread legs. “I asked if you’d learned your lesson.”

“Yes,” Emma all but shouted, grinding her hips forward yet again. “I’ve learned my lesson. I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry.”

She was rewarded for her authenticity with two fingers being pushed slowly back inside her cunt. She let out a low, rasping moan, her back arching upwards once more.

“Oh, god,” she whimpered, tugging harder on the scarf around her wrists. “Thank you, thank you.”

“This feels good, I take it?” Regina asked, moving her fingers more leisurely than either of them wanted her to.

“It feels so good,” Emma cried, her hips bucking uncontrollably. She had no idea when she’d reached this point – this point of not caring what she looked like or how desperate she sounded or how grotesquely she was humping her body against the bed, but where all she cared about in the entire world was that long denied orgasm that was suddenly within her grasp once more. She knew that if Regina took it away from her again, she wouldn’t survive the disappointment.

“Regina,” she panted, the tight, hot spiral starting again from deep within her stomach. Regina spanked her once more across her ass, but didn’t stop moving her fingers slowly in and out. “I mean – Madam Mayor.”

“Yes?”

“Please, please – I need to come.”

“I know you do, darling,” Regina purred, and that word made Emma’s entire body break out in a burning hot sweat. “Tell me how badly you need to.”

Emma wanted to scream, but she forced herself to answer. “I will die if I don’t. Please, Madam Mayor, _please_. Let me come on your fingers – I will do anything, anything you want. Just please, please let me come.”

Regina paused like she was considering it, letting her dripping fingers fall completely still inside her. In that moment, Emma finally lost her patience.

“ _Fuck. Me_ ,” she screamed, lifting her head, letting the words come howling from her and not caring if the entire fucking block heard her. “For fuck’s sake, _please_.”

Regina pulled her fingers free without a word, and Emma burst into a fresh wave of tears.

“Regina, no, no, please, come back,” she howled, her body thrashing against the sheets. “Please, I’m sorry! Please, I won’t speak again, just please let me come. I need to come. I’m so sorry, please come back.”

But Regina had already gotten what she needed, and was walking back towards the bed. The item in her hand was a long wand with a bulbous tip, and a thick black cable protruding from the bottom.

She reached the head of the bed and bent down to plug the wand into the wall. On her way back up, she pressed a swift, hot kiss against Emma’s wet cheek.

“Now _that_ ,” she murmured, running her hand down Emma’s spine, “is what I call begging.”

As she walked back down the bed, she grabbed a pillow from beside Emma’s head.

“Hips up, if you please, Miss Swan,” she said as she knelt between her legs. It took Emma a moment to register what she had asked, and then she was thrusting her ass as high into the air as it would go.

Regina slid the cushion beneath her and tapped Emma’s hip, letting her know that she should lie back down again. The angle was slightly uncomfortable and Emma felt more exposed than ever, but when she realised that Regina had laid the wand directly between her cunt and the pillow, she suddenly didn’t care about any of it.

“Have you ever used one of these before, Miss Swan?”

Emma heaved back a sob, wriggling her hips so she could feel the ball nestling more firmly between her folds. “No.”

“Would you like to?”

“Yes, yes, I would,” Emma said, not giving a damn how desperate she sounded. “Please. Please, I need to come.”

To her surprise, Regina laughed. “You might regret asking for that.”

It was the second time that evening that Regina had uttered those words, and Emma only had a split second to realise that she hadn’t heeded her warning on the first occasion. Then Regina switched the wand on, and all of her thoughts were completely lost.

The first orgasm washed over her in under 10 seconds, and when Regina didn’t pull the toy away, the second one merged into it, causing Emma’s entire body to start shaking uncontrollably. She thought maybe she would be given a break between the second and third, but she was wrong – she felt Regina push the toy harder against her, and even through the screaming heat that was spasming through her muscles, Emma could sense the glorious smirk that Regina was wearing.

After she came a third time, her body went numb for a few moments. The wand kept vibrating violently against her but she felt immune to it, her pussy dripping wet and puffy from the torture that had been wreaked upon it beforehand, and she let herself relax. It was then that orgasm number four snuck up on her, blasting through her soft muscles, causing her to scream out loud.

Behind her, Regina watched with some interest as her body bucked upwards, trying desperately to get away from what had gone so quickly from being Emma’s new favourite toy to an instrument of unbearable torture. There was a sheen of sweat across Emma’s back and a dark puddle on the cushion below her hips, but Regina didn’t let up. There was only one thing that was going to make her stop now, and she was curious to see how long Emma could hold out before she did it.

Finally, as orgasm number six ripped through her, Emma shrieked, “Red, red!”

At once Regina pulled the wand away, switching it off with one hand as the other reached across the bed to pull at the knotted scarf around Emma’s wrists. The restraints came loose easily, and Emma was free to roll off the pillows and onto her back, her chest rising and falling so heavily that for a moment Regina considered asking her if she needed medical attention.

“Emma?” she asked after a few minutes. She was perched awkwardly on the edge of the bed, the now silent wand resting next to her thigh and her hands clasped in her lap. Emma looked across at her and, seeing how anxious she looked, burst out laughing.

“How do you still look so composed?” she demanded, gesturing to Regina’s dress and heels, both of which had managed to stay on. Regina smiled.

“I wasn’t the one being tortured with a magic wand,” she said, placing the object in question onto the nightstand. After a moment’s hesitation, she tossed the damp pillow onto the floor and laid her body down next to Emma’s. “Was that okay?”

Emma laughed again, because she had no idea how else she could react. She lifted her hands and wiped them under her eyes, grimacing when they came away black with mascara.

“Here,” Regina said, reaching out and gently wiping away the remaining tear tracks. The gesture was so cautious and intimate that Emma couldn’t help herself – she reached out both her hands and tugged Regina on top of her, kissing her so furiously that it startled them both.

When Regina pulled away, she murmured. “Well. I take it that’s a yes?”

Emma giggled, and it was the most wonderful sound Regina had ever heard. “That was… everything.”

“I didn’t push you too far?”

“Not at all,” Emma said, reaching up and wiping a smudge of lipstick away from Regina’s mouth. It was the only part of her that was out of place. “The only time I came close to safe wording was when you were hitting me with the paddle, but… I don’t know. I didn’t want to.”

“You didn’t _want_ to?” Regina asked, raising her eyebrows.

“I was being punished,” Emma said cautiously. “I was annoyed with myself for what I said to you, and I didn’t want to let myself off. And I’m glad I didn’t. It was weirdly… kind of great.”

Regina smirked. “You might not be saying that when you have to spend the rest of the week standing at your desk instead of sitting. Your ass does look rather red.”

Emma laughed, her cheeks turning deliciously pink, and Regina couldn’t help but lean forward and plant a kiss on one of them.

“I’m going to go get you some lotion,” she said, going to roll off the bed again, but Emma immediately snatched at her wrist, pulling her back.

“In a minute,” Emma said. “It can wait.”

“Emma, you’re going to be in a lot of pain very soon.”

“I’m already in a lot of pain,” Emma said. “I just want to thank you properly.”

“Thank me?” Regina asked, reaching out to brush the damp hair away from Emma’s face. “Why?”

“ _Why_?” Emma asked. “You just fulfilled literally every single fantasy I’ve had since arriving in this town, Regina.”

Regina didn’t even attempt to not look smug. “Well. I have to say that I’ve had plenty of time to plan what I would like to do to you.”

“You have?”

“Absolutely,” Regina said. “Ever since you rolled into town in that horrible little car, I’ve been imagining what it would be like to hear you moan like that.”

Emma blushed again, glancing away. “But you didn’t even get off.”

“I know,” Regina said, looking perfectly at ease with that fact. “That was always unlikely to happen. We were here for you tonight, but maybe, if this happens again, then we can see about bringing my orgasms into the equation too. If you’re comfortable with that.”

But Emma was already looking confused. “ _If_ this happens again?”

“I don’t want to be presumptuous,” Regina said. “This might have just been something you wanted to get out of your system, or it might have been more intense than you thought. If you didn’t want to come back again, I wouldn’t force you.”

“And what if I did want to?” Emma asked. “Like, say I desperately, urgently wanted to?”

Regina smirked at her. “Then I would welcome the sight of you tumbling through my front door whenever it pleased you.”

Emma grinned. “I would really like that. I don’t know what this would mean for us day-to-day, but…”

Regina was already waving a hand through the air. “Let’s not worry about that for now. We’ve found something that we truly excel at as a team – let’s just enjoy it, shall we?”

In lieu of an answer, Emma smiled, lifting her head to press a gentle kiss against Regina’s pouting lips.

“I think I can handle that,” Emma said quietly, rubbing her thumb over Regina’s cheek and watching with a sudden lift of her heart as Regina smiled softly back at her. There was a pause.

“Now, go and get that lotion,” Emma said, nudging Regina with her foot until she was forced to crawl off the bed with a groan. “For some reason, my entire ass is on fire.”


	2. Chapter 2

 

Emma's foot had been tapping against the floor ever since she'd sat down. She wasn't sure whether it was from the excitement, the nerves or quite simply the disbelief at being allowed back in Regina's bedroom again, but her stomach was frantically coiling around itself like a pit full of snakes. If she hadn't been desperately looking forward to this night for an entire week, she probably would have already started talking herself into leaving again.

Regina had let her into the house and, without a hug or a kiss or anything that gave them the semblance of a normal relationship, took her upstairs and told her to wait for her on the bed. Then she’d disappeared into her en suite bathroom and shut the door. That had been a quarter of an hour ago, and with every passing minute, Emma had been able to feel her palms growing sweatier, her hands trembling just that little bit more. Her boots were already off and sitting by the closed door, and she’d taken off her leather jacket and folded it neatly on the nearest chair. Now she was just waiting, forcing herself to sit as upright as possible. Her eyes lingered on the painting that was hanging on the wall opposite, but her ears were straining towards the locked bathroom door behind her.

She had to hand it to her – Regina already knew _exactly_ how to get to her.

When Regina finally came out of the bathroom, she found Emma waiting exactly where she’d told her. However, she was also sitting on her hands.

She almost laughed. She suspected Emma was sitting that way because she didn’t trust herself while she was waiting, and that fact gave Regina a renewed sense of confidence that she didn’t even realise she needed.

When Emma heard the door brush open, her entire body went rigid. She desperately wanted to look behind her, but she already knew what would happen to her if she did, and so she forced herself to stay completely still, her eyes still looking at that painting while her teeth dug into her lower lip.

She heard Regina’s small exhale of laughter as she began to advance across the room. “Is everything alright, Miss Swan?”

Closing her eyes, Emma responded as calmly as she could, “Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“Are you sure?” Regina asked, reaching the opposite side of the mattress. Emma still didn’t turn around. With her sitting that straight, Regina could suddenly see all the muscles in her back beneath her thin grey T-shirt. She felt a throb of longing between her legs. “You look a bit distressed.”

“I’m trying to stay still,” Emma replied. Her voice was flat and completely composed, and that somehow made her sound all the more impatient. Regina had never seen someone so desperate to appear relaxed in her life.

Laughing quietly, Regina climbed up onto the bed. She was impressed, and vaguely disappointed, when Emma still didn’t try to move.

“I see,” she said. Emma sucked in a breath as the mattress dipped right behind her. When she felt the warmth of Regina’s body radiating from just inches away, it took all her self restraint not to sag back against her. “And why is that?”

“Because I know you wouldn’t like me fidgeting.”

“You are right,” Regina murmured, reaching out to place her hands on Emma’s shoulders. They were rigid; sharp like rocks. She smiled, sliding her fingers slowly down Emma’s restrained arms. “And what are these doing?”

Emma glanced down at her hands, which were still trapped under her thighs. “I’m keeping them out of the way.”

“Why?” Regina asked, sliding her hands back up to Emma’s shoulders again.

“Because…” Emma started, then stopped when she realised she might get into trouble for this. Regina raised her eyebrows.

“Continue, please.”

Taking a deep breath, Emma said, “Because I didn’t want to touch myself before you told me I could.”

Regina pressed her thumbs into the knots between Emma’s shoulder blades. Her own body trembled when Emma released a grateful moan.

“Was that likely to happen, Miss Swan?”

“No,” Emma groaned, leaning her head back as far as she could get away with before Regina would push it forward again. “I just didn’t want to take the chance.”

“Why not?”

“Because you haven’t given me permission yet,” Emma purred, melting into the feeling of Regina’s thumbs working over her shoulders. “And I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

She was startled when Regina pressed a quick, warm kiss against the top of her head. She didn’t pull away as she murmured into her hair, “That is the correct answer. Well done.”

“Thank you,” Emma replied, her cheeks going hot.

“You should let them loose, though,” Regina said, rubbing her nose against Emma’s curls. “I’d prefer it if I am the only person who gets to restrain you.”

Emma pulled her hands free almost instantly, wriggling her fingers to get rid of the tingling. “Are you going to restrain me tonight?”

She sounded so hopeful, and it made Regina smile. Resting her chin on top of Emma’s head, she slid her arms around her neck and let them loop down in front of her. “Perhaps. Would you like that?”

She could _feel_ Emma’s nervous swallow before she said, “Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“Then I’ll see about making it happen,” she replied, lifting one hand and letting it slowly sift through Emma’s curls. Emma’s whimper of pleasure vibrated through the both of them. “Is there anything else you’d particularly like to try tonight?”

“I’d really like to make you come,” Emma blurted out without having to think about it. As much as she’d enjoyed being the sole object of Regina’s attention last time, there weren’t enough words in the English language to describe how badly she wanted to see Regina come undone underneath her own fingers.

Regina chuckled softly. “I am certainly willing to make that happen. Anything else?”

“I’d like it if…” Emma started before taking a steadying breath. She could already feel herself starting to spiral out of control – the feeling of Regina’s fingers in her hair, her warm body against her back, her spare hand dangling precariously close to her breasts, was stifling. If their first encounter was anything to go by, tonight would take a great deal more self control than she was used to exerting. “I’d like it if you could try and be a bit rougher with me.”

There were no more delicious words in the entire world. Regina could hear the arrogance in her own voice as she murmured, “Would you, now?”

“Yes,” Emma said, taking another breath. As her chest rose, her breasts finally made contact with Regina’s fingers. “I know you were taking it easy on me last time because it was my first time with this stuff. But I think I’m ready to try something a bit harder.”

“Oh, Emma,” Regina purred, lifting her chin away from Emma’s head and sitting up straighter. Her left hand began to freely crawl over Emma’s rising chest. “I don’t think you’re anywhere near as ready as you think you are. Not for the things I have in mind.”

“Maybe not all of them,” Emma insisted. “But I’m ready for whatever the next step is.”

Regina couldn’t argue with that. “I suppose that’s true. But you need to be aware of your own limits – as important as it is that I don’t push you into doing things you’re not ready for, it’s just as important that you don’t push yourself too hard. You’ve got nothing to prove here.”

Emma nodded, but she was already getting lost in the feeling of Regina’s fingers grazing over her breast. “I know that.”

“What are your safe words, Emma?”

“Red,” Emma murmured, leaning her head back. “Orange, green.”

“Pay attention,” Regina snapped. She took her right hand away from Emma’s hair and placed that too on her still-covered chest. “Repeat them.”

Emma forced herself to sit up straighter once more. Without Regina leaning on the top of her head, it was slightly easier, but the feeling of her breasts pressed up against her back was still mind-numbingly distracting. “Red, orange and green.”

“When do you use them?”

“When I’m not comfortable,” Emma said slowly. Regina’s hands were cupped over her breasts, unmoving, and all she wanted was for her to squeeze down on them, coaxing out her first scream of the night. “When I want you to slow down, or stop.”

“Do you trust me to stop as soon as you say ‘red’?”

“I do,” Emma said with a lack of hesitation that warmed Regina’s heart.

“Very good,” she said, cupping Emma’s breasts more firmly. She heard her sharp intake of breath, and she felt Emma press herself forwards into her hands. “And what do I want from you, Emma?”

Emma would never get tired of hearing Regina say her name. “You want respect, Madam Mayor.”

“Precisely,” Regina muttered, her fingers seeking out Emma’s nipples through her shirt and gently pinching.

Emma didn’t suppress her moan of pleasure. “Thank you.”

“Tell me, Emma,” Regina said, pressing her mouth close to her ear. She felt Emma’s shoulders tremor. “Have you thought about this before?”

“About what, Madam Mayor?”

“This,” Regina said, pinching ever so slightly harder. “Me touching you like I’m doing right now.”

Emma groaned before she answered, “Yes.”

“When?”

With Regina’s fingers slowly, tortuously working over her nipples through the barrier of her bra and her shirt, Emma could barely remember her own name, let alone the exact instances of when she’d thought about her touching her like this. “A lot.”

Regina pinched harder again, coaxing a gasp from Emma’s lips. “Be more specific.”

Tilting her head back, Emma said, “The first time I met you. When I was in Granny’s the next night, I kept thinking about what you would be like in bed. And what it would be like to take your dress off of you.”

“Did you touch yourself?”

Emma paused. “Yes.”

This time, Regina’s pinch was slightly less forgiving. She felt her cunt throb when Emma let out a hiss of pain. “You’re lying.”

“I’m sorry, Madam Mayor. No, I didn’t touch myself.”

“That’s alright,” Regina said coolly, sliding her hands up along Emma’s throat. She gently trailed her fingers across her jaw, then back down towards the plunging V-neck of her shirt. “Why didn’t you?”

“I… I don’t know,” Emma said, wriggling in her suddenly too-tight jeans. “I’d just met my kid. I was in a strange town and you’d already pissed me off, and… I’d never felt like that about a woman before. It was intense. I didn’t know why I kept thinking about you.”

“Thinking about me touching you like this?” Regina asked, sliding her hands down into Emma’s shirt. She still didn’t venture beneath her bra, and she felt Emma’s growl of frustration.

“Yes.”

“So, when _did_ you first touch yourself?”

“It… it wasn’t for a while,” Emma gasped as Regina suddenly pressed a kiss against the side of her neck. “I kept ignoring it.”

“I can understand that,” Regina murmured against her ear, rolling her palms more firmly over her breasts. “But stop avoiding the question. When did you finally give in?”

“After the… after the mines.”

“When you saved Henry?”

“Yes.”

“And I brushed you aside?”

“Yes.”

“Was it because of how I manipulated you?” Regina asked.

“How you… what?”

“You remember,” Regina said firmly. “You know what I’m talking about.”

Emma swallowed, pressing herself harder against Regina’s chest. “When you looked like you were going to kiss me.”

“Precisely,” Regina said, finally delving into the cups of her bra. Emma moaned out loud, her thighs squeezing together and her head lolling back against Regina’s chest. She looked up, and it was the first time she’d seen Regina’s face properly since she’d joined her. She looked smug, just like she knew she would, and she looked intimidating. Her eyes were wickedly dark. “This has always been a game of power between us. I was trying to see how best to use mine against you. As soon as I did it, I knew this would happen.”

“What would happen?” Emma asked, her throat dry. Regina’s fingers skittered over her nipples, tracing faint circles around them.

“This,” Regina said as she gently pinched down. “I saw the desire in your eyes, and a lot of confusion. I knew you wanted me, even if you didn’t know it yourself yet.”

She paused before adding, “And then you went home and fucked yourself thinking about me, so I suppose I must have been right.”

Emma wanted to giggle, but she couldn’t. Regina’s spell over her had started and she was struggling to snap herself out of it again. “You were.”

“Were you already wet when you got home?”

“Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“Tell me what you thought about while you were fucking yourself.”

Emma’s hips rolled forwards once more as something hot and exciting started to bubble up in her stomach. Her fingers were gripped around the edge of the mattress, and it was the only thing stopping her from falling off it.

“I thought about you coming into the sheriff station and fucking me on my desk.”

“I see. Did you imagine it with you on your back?”

“No,” Emma croaked. She could feel her panties starting to stick to her. “You bent me over the desk and held onto my hair to keep me there. Then you pulled my jeans down and fucked me with your fingers.”

“Would you like me to do that in reality?”

Emma’s groan of desire was guttural and furious. “Yes.”

“How long did it take you to come?”

“Not very long, Madam Mayor,” Emma said. Regina’s fingers had started to gently twist at her nipples, first one way and then the other, and her hips bucked upwards of their own accord. “You hadn’t even taken your coat off.”

Regina chuckled, her hands suddenly stilling inside Emma’s bra. Emma forced herself not to cry out with disappointment. “Would you like to hear about the first time I came thinking of you?”

Emma’s dismay faded at once, replaced by a furiously interested nod.

Regina gently pushed her away, forcing her to sit upright by herself once more, before she climbed off the bed. “It was the morning after we had met for the first time. You were locked in a cell at the time, although I didn’t know that then. If I had, I would have imagined things _very_ differently.”

Emma didn’t turn around, but she shakily asked, “What did you imagine instead?”

“I was thinking about you while I was in the shower,” Regina said, slowly beginning to walk around the bed. “Before I knew Henry was missing again, before I knew that you hadn’t really left town. I was showering, and I kept thinking about how you had been leaning against my doorframe. Just that. You looked so confident and so unfazed by me, and all I had wanted to do at the time was pin you there and fuck that arrogant smile out of you. That’s what I thought about when I was touching myself.”

Emma groaned, her head falling back. The sight of her blonde curls tumbling down her spine was as mesmerising as ever.

“I came so hard that I nearly fell down,” Regina purred, reaching the corner of the bed. She could see Emma’s face, and it made her smile: her green eyes were shut, and she was breathing deeply through her nose. “I had to stop and hold onto the wall, just to give myself time to calm down again.”

She took three more steps and positioned herself in front of Emma, folding her arms over her chest.

“Eyes open, Miss Swan.”

Emma looked up at once. Her gaze was glossy as she stared up at Regina like she still couldn’t truly believe she was there.

“Very few nights have gone by since where I haven’t fucked myself in this bed, thinking of you,” Regina said in her lowest, silkiest voice. “I must say, it’s a pleasure to finally stop having to imagine it.”

Emma smiled weakly. “It really is.”

Regina’s own lips quirked upwards for a split second before her expression turned cool again.

“Stand up.”

Emma didn’t have to be told twice. She shakily got to her feet, thinking more than once that she might fall back down. When she felt as steady as she possibly could, she looked up to meet Regina’s calculating stare.

Regina turned around slowly, her arms still folded over her chest, revealing a zipper that ran from the neckline of her tight black dress all the way down to the high slit at the bottom. “Unzip me.”

It felt like a trick. Emma paused, taking in the seemingly impossible task of removing Regina’s dress from her body. She hesitated before she asked, “Are you sure?”

Regina didn’t even turn around, but somehow the venom in her words managed to feel like the iciest of glares.

“Question me again and I’ll make you sorry you were born. Now unzip my goddamn dress.”

Emma wasn’t entirely surprised when she reached out to do so and found that her hands were shaking. This felt like being granted entry to the promised land, only she wasn’t sure what she’d done to deserve it.

She swallowed through her dry mouth and began to drag the zipper down. As those sharp teeth parted and revealed inch after inch of Regina’s perfectly smooth, tan skin, she felt a shiver creep through every single cell in her body.

All too soon and not quickly enough, Emma’s hand reached the small of Regina’s back. Her cunt throbbed all over again as she tugged the zipper down those last few inches, over the delicious curve of Regina’s ass and down to just between her thighs.

The dress fell from her body, and Regina stepped effortlessly out of it like the queen she was. She turned to face Emma with her eyes blazing, her cheeks slightly flushed and her lips pouted like she was waiting for Emma to question her all over again.

But Emma was staring at her like she’d never seen something so perfect before in her entire life. Her eyes had fallen shamelessly to Regina’s sheer black bra, then to her toned stomach and down further still – with a sudden brightness in her cheeks – to the matching black panties that she already wanted to rip clean off of her. She was still in her heels – of course she was – and she looked imposing, and menacing, and utterly breathtaking.

Emma knew that she probably wasn’t meant to say any of that out loud, but she didn’t care.

“You are so beautiful,” she said quietly, and for a second, Regina’s mask slipped. She looked like she wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

“Thank you,” she said, reaching up to graze her thumb against Emma’s cheek. But she didn’t know what to say next – she hadn’t expected her plans to be interrupted like this.

Luckily for her, Emma came to her rescue. “Can I kiss you?”

And just like that, Regina’s smirk returned to her. She released Emma’s face, tilting her head to one side.

“I suppose you can.”

Emma hesitated before she reached forwards, sliding her arms around Regina’s neck like she thought she might break. When Regina felt the slow brush of her lips against her mouth, it was softer than anything she could have ever imagined. But it didn’t take long for passion to replace caution, and suddenly Emma was clinging onto the back of her neck, pressing her body so tightly against Regina’s that she could feel her pounding heartbeat through her shirt.

Regina snaked her arms around Emma’s waist and pulled her closer still, letting Emma’s tongue explore her mouth with unrestrained desire. She could hear her gasping, her hands sliding up to tease at Regina’s hair, and with every second that passed, Regina could feel her longing for her grow.

Finally she pushed Emma away, breathing heavily and her eyes flashing once more. Emma didn’t look uncertain anymore – she looked ready. Ready for whatever Regina told her to do.

“Strip.”

It was one word that did a thousand things to her. Emma didn’t hesitate as she peeled her shirt over her head tossed it to the ground, then shimmied her jeans down her legs. When she was left wearing only her bra and panties, Regina held up a finger, and Emma stopped moving.

“Very good,” Regina murmured. She could see the speed with which Emma’s chest was rising and falling, and the urge to pepper hot, biting kisses all over it immediately overwhelmed her. “Now, get on your knees.”

Emma’s entire body shivered as she dropped down to the carpet. When she automatically lowered her gaze, a rumble of pleasure rushed through Regina’s body.

“Good girl,” Regina said, taking slow, measured steps around her. She carefully stepped over Emma’s feet, brushing a hand lightly over her shoulders as she went. When she placed herself back in front of her once more, Emma hadn’t moved an inch.

Regina edged forwards, and she saw Emma inhale sharply when she realised just how close she was now standing. When she lifted her eyes to find them perfectly in line with the intoxicating silk of Regina’s panties, she let out the gentlest of sighs.

“Is there something you’d like to say, Miss Swan?”

Emma didn’t blink, but she took a breath that was so deep it made her shoulders rise up. Her body seemed to be tilting forwards, drawn to Regina’s body by some invisible force.

“Can I please taste you?”

Her voice was small, but it didn’t shake. It took all of Regina’s self restraint not to fist a hand in her blonde curls and push her face between her legs herself.

“Yes, you may,” Regina said, and Emma leaned forwards at once, burying her nose and her forehead against the front of Regina’s panties. She was so warm and, god, Emma could feel a faint wetness against the tip of her nose. But before she could go any further, Regina was stepping backwards, her arms calmly crossed behind her and her smirk more antagonising than ever. “But not yet.”

Emma released a low groan, closing her eyes and throwing her head back. The feeling of her curls tickling over her back made her tremble, and her legs started to shake beneath her. She took a deep breath and reopened her eyes. Regina was watching her expectantly, her eyebrows raised. Emma knew what that expression meant.

“Is there some kind of problem?”

Emma flushed deep red. “No.”

“Are you quite certain? Because it seems like you have something you’d like to say to me.”

“No,” Emma repeated, stumbling over that single syllable. “I was just…”

“Whining,” Regina snapped at her, taking a step closer and bending down to grip hold of her chin. “Things aren’t going your way, and you’re being a brat about it.”

Emma knew she wasn’t helping matters by pouting, but she couldn’t help it. Regina’s eyes immediately flashed, and she shoved Emma’s face away from her once more.

“You don’t get to look at me like that,” she hissed, brushing past her and making her way across to the other side of the room. “Stay where you are. For every inch you move, I will spank you 10 times.”

The tremor of disappointment in Emma’s muscles was instantly replaced by a shiver of excitement at the prospect of Regina’s unforgiving palm striking her bare skin. She briefly considered standing up, just to see if Regina would follow through on such a threat. But then she remembered the difference between being spanked for pleasure and being spanked for being disobedient. Her ass had been blotchy with red and purple bruises for most of the week.

She willed her body to stay perfectly still, and she remained exactly where she was.

When Regina returned and positioned herself behind Emma, she had an item in her hands. Emma knew what it was going to be at once.

Regina began to fold the black scarf into a neat rectangle, taking her time as she lined up the edges and folded it over and over again. When she glanced down, she could see Emma’s fingers twitching on the tops of her thighs. She smirked, then folded the scarf again.

Emma breathed in sharply when it was placed over her eyes, then secured with a tight knot at the back of her head. Regina stepped around her and adjusted it in front of her face, making sure it wasn’t about to slip down and cover her nose, or up and allow her to see again.

“What can you see, Miss Swan?”

Emma wetted her lips. “Not much.”

“Can you see me?”

“No,” Emma said. “I can see a bit of light coming through. And I can kind of see your feet if I look very far down.”

Regina reached out and tugged the scarf ever so slightly downwards. “How about now?”

Emma released a tiny laugh. “Now I can’t anymore.”

“Are you lying to me?”

“No, Madam Mayor. I can’t see anything.”

Regina flapped a hand in front of her eyes, but Emma didn’t flinch. “Very well. In that case, get on your feet. Quickly.”

Emma did so as gracefully as she could manage. Balance wasn’t her strongest skill even when she had her full vision allowed to her – now she was unable to see at all, she nearly toppled over entirely.

Regina grabbed her elbow to stop her from falling and, when she was steady again, she pulled her over towards the bed. Helping her up onto the mattress, she pressed her mouth against Emma’s ear and muttered, “In the centre. On your knees.”

Feeling her way with her hands, Emma found what she thought was roughly the middle of the vast bed and assumed the position she’d been told to, sitting back on her heels. She could feel Regina’s eyes burning into her, and she bit down on her lip, her fingers still fidgeting against her thighs. As much as Regina liked to watch her panic, she found herself leaning across the mattress to gently tug her lower lip free.

“Don’t hurt yourself.”

Emma swallowed. “Sorry.”

Regina climbed onto the bed and positioned herself in front of Emma, matching her pose. For a few moments she just looked at her. She was beautiful, of course – she always was. But there was something astoundingly special about this sight. Watching Emma submit to her made Regina feel hot in multiple different ways – warm in her heart, and burning hot everywhere else – because here she was, blind and waiting and trusting Regina to do whatever she liked to her. She could tell that her eyes were darting about beneath the blindfold and her ears were straining, waiting for her next move. But for a second, there wasn’t one. There was just Regina, watching her, full of amazement.

And then Emma bit her lip again, and Regina shook herself back to consciousness. She reached out, her thumb digging more firmly into Emma’s lip as she pulled it free a second time.

“What have I told you about disobeying me?”

She was still holding onto Emma’s lip, and yet they both knew she was expecting an answer. Emma manage to mumble, “Not to.”

“I wonder what it will take to get you to learn,” Regina mused, releasing her. Abruptly, before Emma could sense it coming, she leaned forwards and pressed her mouth fiercely against Emma’s, relishing the surprised gasp that escaped from her lips. Regina slid her hands around Emma’s neck and pulled her closer, kissing her more deeply, and moaned as loudly as she dared.

Emma lifted her hands and rested them gently on Regina’s thighs. At once, the kiss was ended, and Regina was slapping her hands away.

“Stop that,” she hissed, sitting back on her heels. “ _Again_ with the disobeying. Do you think I find it amusing when you act like a rebellious teenager, flouting my rules?”

“I’m sorry, Madam Mayor,” Emma mumbled. “I didn’t know I’d broken a rule.”

Regina reached out and fisted a hand in Emma’s hair, pulling her brusquely forwards.

“You don’t remember the rule where I am in charge? Where I tell you what to do, and no one else?” she muttered against her ear, letting her teeth graze over Emma’s earlobe. She felt her shiver. “What goes on in this head of yours, Miss Swan? Are you too busy thinking those dirty thoughts of yours to listen to a word I say?”

Emma whimpered. “No, of course not.”

“I don’t believe you,” Regina chuckled, tugging her earlobe between her teeth. Emma let out a sudden gasp of air, leaning her whole body towards Regina’s mouth. “I think you are already impatient. You are so desperate to be fucked by me that you’re trying to hurry things along. Am I right?”

Emma paused before murmuring, “…no.”

A hand slapped against the outside of her thigh and she jumped up an inch.

“Don’t you dare lie to me,” Regina said, dragging her tongue around the shell of her ear. “I bet if I were to put my hand in your panties right now, you’d already be soaked, wouldn’t you?”

This time, Emma didn’t try to deny it. “Yes, I would.”

“Would you like me to touch you, Emma?”

“Yes please.”

“You want me to push my fingers inside you and fuck you like the whore you are?”

Emma’s head fell back as a low groan escaped from her lips. Hearing Regina say that word unleashed something dark and forbidden inside her – it was a word she should have hated. From anyone else, at any other time, she would have. She’d broken a guy’s nose for calling her less. But coming from Regina’s lips in the inky blue hours of the night, it sparked something deep inside her that made her cunt throb in a way that nothing else ever could. She shifted her hips and, as she felt her soaked panties clinging to her body, she whimpered.

“Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“Well,” Regina said, pulling away from her ear and slapping her thigh once more for good measure. “It’s a shame that I don’t fuck liars then, isn’t it.”

Emma’s head fell forwards and she looked so repentant that Regina nearly took pity on her. Nearly.

Instead, she reached behind her and unclipped her own bra, tossing it over her shoulder. Emma heard the dull _putt_ of fabric hitting carpet and straightened up, her eyes searching beneath the blindfold.

Regina inched forwards, positioning her legs on either side of Emma’s knees, and leaned her naked chest towards her. Emma felt the brush of hot skin against her lips and nearly came apart.

Without thinking, she leaned forwards and parted her lips, ready to take Regina’s nipple into her mouth and suck it and lick it and bite it until Regina was finally the whimpering, wriggling mess that she’d always wanted to turn her into. She lifted her hands at the same time, desperate to grab Regina’s waist and hold her close, to stop her from pulling away. She was ready for all of this, and tears were close to springing up in her eyes from how badly she wanted it. But, as usual, Regina was half a second faster than her. She pulled away again, her hands snatching up Emma’s wrists, and shoved her viciously backwards.

“When will you _listen_ to me, Emma?” Regina snapped, watching with satisfaction as Emma scrabbled about on the bed, trying to push herself back upright. “Do you think this is a game? Are you enjoying pissing me off?”

Emma shook her head vigorously, suddenly hating the blindfold more than she’d ever hated anything in her life. She was half-sprawled on the mattress, just about supporting her weight on her hands, and all she wanted to do was to reach out and grab hold of Regina and beg for forgiveness. Really, really beg.

But she couldn’t see her, and she couldn’t find the words. So she just shook her head again, swallowing down her disappointment in herself.

“Oh, _now_ you’ve lost your smart mouth?” Regina asked, crawling towards her and landing a fierce, biting kiss on her neck. Emma moaned, feeling the blood rushing to the surface of her skin. She hadn’t had a hickie in years, but suddenly she wanted to be covered in them, so badly bruised that it hurt to lie down in bed later without Regina by her side. “Speak up, Miss Swan. I’m dying to hear what your explanation is.”

But Emma could barely think, not with Regina’s lips working furiously against her throat and her left hand creeping up to toy with the edge of her bra cup. Her arms began to shake behind her.

“I just wanted to touch you,” Emma said, her voice trembling. Her words were immediately met by a snort of derision.

“I’m sure you did, but that’s not your decision. You only have one job here, Miss Swan. What is that?”

“To please you.”

“Oh, good – so you do know,” Regina said. She dragged her tongue as wetly as she could up Emma’s throat, and finally Emma’s arms gave way. She collapsed back against the pillows, and at once Regina was on top of her, straddling her hips and grinding her cunt against Emma’s stomach. Emma bucked up automatically, her moan of pleasure ready on her lips, but it was smothered by another of Regina’s devastating kisses. Her hands were roaming more freely now, her nails scraping down Emma’s stomach and over her breasts, before returning to the sharp line of her jaw as it met her throat.

“Do you know how you can please me?” Regina whispered in her ear.

Emma shook her head. “No.”

“By doing as you’re fucking told.” The words came like a hiss of steam, and Emma’s toes curled at the sound of them. “You’re here to be fucked by me. I will do whatever I want to you, because I am in control of you. You no longer have a say in this. You are my toy, and I will fuck you as I see fit. Do you understand me?”

The way that Emma was writhing beneath her straying fingers and probing lips told her just how well she understood her. She nodded immediately, her chest heaving upwards.

Regina sat upright, rolling her hips forward against her taut stomach once more.

“Tell me who you belong to.”

“You,” Emma said at once, lifting her hips to push herself harder against Regina’s soaked panties.

“Good. Say it again.”

“You, Madam Mayor,” Emma moaned, her hands fisting in the pillows out of sheer frustration. “I belong to you.”

The fervour in her voice was worthy of a reward, Regina decided. She smiled wickedly, letting her fingers creep down her own body. She forced herself not to sigh as her hand slipped beneath the fabric of her panties, her clit pulsing with gratitude at the sudden touch of her fingers.

A moment later, Emma felt the presence of something else hovering in front of her lips. But finally, she learned not to open her mouth. She waited, holding her breath, feeling the beads of sweat starting to roll down her chest, until finally Regina said. “Good girl. Open.”

Emma parted her lips and let Regina slide two of her fingers inside. The second she realised that they were already wet, Emma nearly came undone. She desperately thrust her head forward to try and take in as much of that delicious new taste as she could.

Oh god, _finally_. She’d been dreaming of tasting Regina for so long, and now that she finally had what she wanted, she immediately needed more. The taste of Regina’s cunt on two of her long, delicate fingers wasn’t enough – she wanted to bury her face in her pussy, to drag her tongue along her slit before sucking on her clit, tormenting her until the mayor finally came apart on her lips.

Regina knew it, and that’s why she’d done this – she was giving her a taste, but nothing more. Not until she’d earned it.

Still, Emma had to try.

“Please,” she groaned as Regina finally pulled her fingers free. “Please, Madam Mayor. I want to lick your pussy.”

The fervour in her words made Regina’s whole body go burning hot, and the temptation to give Emma what she wanted was more overwhelming than she could have ever imagined.

“You will,” Regina said, bending forwards to kiss Emma’s desperately parted lips. “But not yet.”

Emma thrashed her legs like an angry toddler, and at once Regina’s weight came down on her, pinning her wrists beside her head.

“Are you annoyed, Miss Swan?”

Emma gritted her teeth. “Yes.”

“Good,” Regina said, her voice suddenly cold. She released one wrist and reached over to the nightstand. Emma heard a drawer opening. “Because now so am I. Let’s see which one of us wins, shall we?”

A thrill of fear rushed through Emma’s body, and for a split second she stopped resisting. It was then that Regina scooped up her left wrist and slipped the noose-like length of rope that she’d tied earlier that afternoon around it.

As she attached it to the bedpost, Regina said, “We’re going to play a little game.”

Emma swallowed. “What kind of game?”

Regina finished securing her wrist and moved across to the other side, binding her right wrist to the opposite bedpost.

“One that I suspect you won’t like very much.”

Emma’s body lifted off the bed of its own accord. “Try me.”

A hand clapped abruptly over her mouth, making her jump. “Be quiet. Now.”

Some perverse part of Emma’s mind flashed back to growing up in foster homes, and how when another kid would put their hand over her mouth during a play fight, she would stick out her tongue and lick their palm until they let go. A tiny part of her longed to do it now, just to see if she could get Regina to squeal.

But then Regina’s other hand was on her bra, tugging it upwards and exposing her breasts. Without taking her hand away from Emma’s mouth, Regina bent forwards and sucked one of her nipples into her mouth, letting her teeth graze over the stiff peak and grinning when she heard a muffled groan from above her.

Sitting upright, Regina pulled both of her hands away. She let them tiptoe down Emma’s stomach, watching with fascination as the muscles rippled beneath her touch.

“Would you like to hear the rules of the game?”

Emma swallowed. “Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“Good,” Regina said, curling her fingers around the waistband of Emma’s panties, but not pulling them down. “I’m going to fuck you.”

Even though she couldn’t see Emma’s eyes, she knew she was blinking with surprise. “You are?”

“I am,” Regina said, her voice light and casual. “I’m going to fuck you very hard, in fact. But here’s the catch: you aren’t allowed to come.”

There was a long pause before Emma asked, “…ever?”

“If you feel like you’re about to come,” Regina continued, tugging Emma’s panties down half an inch, “I want you to tell me to stop. And I will. We will wait until you’ve calmed down, and then we will start again. This will carry on until you’ve told me to stop five times.”

Emma spluttered, lifting her head off the pillow. “ _Five times_?”

Regina whipped the palm of her hand so savagely against her cunt that Emma couldn’t stop herself from shrieking with pain and surprise. Her pussy was still covered by her wet panties, but that barrier didn’t seem to make any difference. That _hurt_.

“What do you say?”

“I’m sorry,” Emma choked out, wriggling her hips to try and distract herself from the stinging pain. Regina immediately placed her hand firmly on Emma’s pelvis to hold her still.

“Stop fidgeting, or I’ll do it again.”

Emma’s legs shook with the effort, but she forced herself to lie still.

“Good,” Regina said, returning her attention to her panties. “Do you understand the rules of the game?”

“Yes,” Emma mumbled.

“Needless to say,” Regina added. “If you disobey me and come without telling me to stop, I will punish you so severely that you won’t be able to sit down for a week.”

The prospect shouldn’t have excited Emma as much as it did, but thankfully her attention was diverted as Regina suddenly yanked her panties down to her knees. As her bare, wet cunt was exposed to the room, Emma felt her whole body shiver.

Regina peeled the wet fabric down Emma’s trembling calves and over her feet. She dropped them onto the mattress beside her, her eyes already locked onto Emma’s pussy.

Lying down between Emma’s legs, she buried her face in her cunt before Emma had time to prepare herself. Regina dragged her tongue roughly up the length of her pussy, moaning softly against her skin, knowing full well that the vibration from her mouth would only help push Emma along. As she pressed her face more firmly between Emma’s thighs, she felt a twinge of regret over her choice of game – she knew that she would be forced to stop much sooner than she wanted to. She could have stayed there all night, if Emma had asked her to.

Not a minute had gone by in the past week when Regina hadn’t wanted to be right there, right in that spot, with her fingers curled around Emma’s thighs and her own pussy clenching with overwhelming desire.

Emma was pulling on the ropes around her wrists as Regina’s tongue began to speed up in its lapping movements. With every stroke, she felt her muscles get tighter. She wished she could reach down and hold onto Regina’s head, knotting her fingers through her silky hair and pulling her even closer. The restraints around her wrists were maddening, and although they were undoubtedly helping to speed things along, a part of her didn’t want them to.

But when two of Regina’s fingers slid into her pussy and began to slowly drive in and out, Emma felt that quickening in her stomach that told her exactly where this was headed.

It nearly killed her, but she played by Regina’s rules. As her back began arching off the bed and sparks started to shoot down her arms and legs, she heard herself choke out, “Stop, stop!”

Regina fingers and tongue stilled immediately, and she waited a few moments before she withdrew them. Above her, Emma was panting heavily, her chest rapidly rising and falling. Her fingers were gripped around the ropes, so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.

Licking her lips, Regina said, “Very well done, Miss Swan. That’s one down.”

If Emma hadn’t been fighting to catch her breath, she would have screamed a minute-long trail of obscenities at her. It was to the benefit of both of them that she didn’t.

“Take as long as you need to calm down again,” Regina said, rubbing her hand up and down Emma’s thigh in what was supposed to be a soothing manner, but in actuality just made Emma’s pussy throb all over again. “And then we’ll go again.”

Emma nearly choked. The prospect of doing that four more times was excruciating.

Regina had been right. She did not like this game.

After a few minutes of silence punctuated only by Emma’s frantic breaths had passed, she finally nodded. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Her fingers curled back around her restraints, as if for support. Regina smirked, then dove back between her legs once more.

She was hardly down there for 15 seconds before Emma felt the familiar hitching deep within her body. She groaned, rolling her head back against the pillows, her eyes closed and sharp with the threat of tears. She could feel her wetness leaking down across Regina’s lips and chin and that thought alone drove her towards her release more abruptly than she would have imagined possible. But before she could reach it – before she could even really get close – she blurted out, “Stop!”

But Regina didn’t. She must have heard her, but she kept going, responding to Emma’s wobbly command by thrusting a third finger into her pussy.

Emma let out a garbled whimper, tugging her hips backwards, and repeated, “I said stop!”

Pulling her mouth back a few inches but allowing her fingers to continue plunging into Emma’s dripping core, Regina murmured, “You’re not close yet. You lift your back off the bed when you are.”

Emma thrashed her arms against her restraints – Regina was right, of course, and the miniscule sliver of control that she thought she’d managed to wrestle from this game had already been snatched away by someone who was so much smarter than she was.

And so Emma was swept back under again, white-hot flashes of desire sparking up before her covered eyes, and by the time she felt the soles of her feet dragging upwards against the sheets, it was almost too late for her to stop what was coming next. It was purely by chance that she remembered to choke out “Stop stop _stop”_ before she could explode with the orgasm that was seconds, a mere breath away from screaming into reality.

Regina’s fingers fell still at once, and a split second later she heard the shudder of breath that Emma released. She knew without looking up that she was holding back tears, probably blinking furiously against her blindfold in her stubborn refusal to let Regina know that she was winning.

After a moment, Regina pushed herself up onto her knees and crawled over Emma’s body, her eyes not on the face below her but on the wrists that were outstretched ahead of her.

“What are you doing?” Emma mumbled, her voice wobbly.

“I’m checking you’re not hurting yourself on these ropes,” Regina replied, pulling the item in question away from Emma’s wrist to check the skin beneath. It was slightly red from where Emma had been pulling.

“Emma,” she said warningly, feeling Emma stiffen up beneath her. “You should have told me.”

“I didn’t notice,” Emma said, still sounding breathless. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m taking them off,” Regina said, and Emma could tell she was being scolded. But Regina’s fingers were gentle as she detached the ropes from the headboard, then slipped them off of Emma’s wrists. She left the two pieces coiled on the nightstand. “You need to tell me when something’s hurting.”

“I really didn’t notice,” Emma said tearily. “They don’t hurt now, either.”

“Good,” Regina said, pressing a kiss against Emma’s lips. “Because this isn’t how I enjoy hurting you.”

The words send a tremor through Emma’s entire body. She swallowed, feeling the weight above her shift as Regina shuffled back down her body and settled between her legs once more.

“But you do enjoy hurting me?” she asked.

Regina glanced up, a wicked smile on her lips. “If you knew how pretty you looked when you’re begging me to stop, you wouldn’t have to ask that.”

Emma moaned, curling her toes. With her hands no longer tied, she was free to grip hold of the sheets.

“Madam Mayor?”

“Mm?” Regina responded, grazing her thumb over Emma’s swollen clit. Her dark eyes followed the movement like this was a particularly good movie that she’d never seen the ending of.

“Can I touch you this time?” Emma’s voice caught halfway through the sentence as Regina’s touch got slightly firmer. She was circling Emma’s clit now, pressing down when she knew it would most surprise her. The way that her voice suddenly hitched was as delicious as it was endearing.

“You may hold onto my hair,” Regina said. “Since you asked so nicely.”

Emma sucked in a breath through her teeth. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Regina said, grazing her teeth along the inside of Emma’s thigh. “Are you ready for round three?”

Emma’s reluctant groan told her what the honest answer was, but to her credit, she still forced out, “Yes, Madam Mayor.”

And so Regina continued with her ministrations, swirling her tongue around Emma’s frantically pounding clit while toying at her entrance with the tips of her fingers. It didn’t take long before Emma’s hands slid into her hair, her breath tripping from her mouth in silky ribbons. The sound made Regina’s muscles clench, and she reached out for Emma’s thigh and squeezed it tightly before tugging it closer, hitching it over her shoulder. She repeated the action with the other leg, so that her ears were covered by Emma’s trembling thighs and her access to Emma’s cunt was entirely unrestricted.

She started to drive her fingers inside her once more, almost startled by how easily they slid in now that Emma was dripping down onto the sheets. With three fingers buried deep inside, Regina briefly considered adding a fourth. She knew without a doubt that it would fit, and she so badly wanted to hear Emma’s shocked gasp when she felt it entering her.

But Regina didn’t want to startle her out of her spiral towards denied orgasm number three, and so she carried on what she was doing, maintaining a steady, torturous rhythm as her tongue lapped over Emma’s clit. She propped herself up on her knees, and with the movement, Emma’s hips were lifted upwards. Emma’s grip on her hair was getting tighter and her breaths were getting shorter, and when Regina glanced up, there was a single, frustrated tear rolling down Emma’s flushed cheek.

Regina latched her lips around Emma’s clit and began to gently suck. It was then that Emma went beyond saving – she didn’t say ‘stop’. She didn’t even consider it.

The orgasm washed over her like an explosion, and by the time she realised she was coming, there was nothing she could do to stop it. She let out a noise that was half a scream and half a howl of relief as the shock twisted through her body, making her muscles go tight and loose and hot and cold all at once. She was dripping down Regina’s chin – she could _feel_ it – and as she held Regina’s now protesting mouth close against her just for another second, to draw out this long-denied pleasure for as long as she possibly could, she felt the tears of relief start.

Regina eventually wriggled free, letting Emma’s hips drop heavily to the bed, and tossed her legs away from her. The anger building up inside her was suffocating, but it was nothing compared to the thrill of what she knew was coming next.

She crawled on top of Emma’s frantically trembling body and grabbed holding of her face with one hot, sticky hand.

“What the _hell_ was that?”

Tears were dribbling uncontrollably down Emma’s face, and even though there was a flash of fear in the wobble of her mouth, she didn’t look like she was sorry.

She would be soon.

“I didn’t mean to,” Emma choked out, trying to catch her breath. “I didn’t think. It just—”

“Shut up,” Regina hissed, shoving Emma’s face to one side and reaching down to pinch viciously at her exposed nipples. Emma howled, her body lifting off of the bed, and Regina immediately forced her back down. “You are a stupid, selfish little girl. You agreed to my terms, and then as soon as things got a little too tough for you, you decided to quit. You decided to come all over my tongue without my permission like the filthy little whore you are.”

Emma swallowed, not looking quite so relieved now. “I’m sorry. I—”

“I said _shut up_ ,” Regina snapped, her hand, still wet from Emma’s cunt, reaching up and slapping her across her face. It wasn’t a proper blow – it was a prelude to one, a test to see how she would react to it. Regina saw Emma’s eyebrows shoot up, her chest hitching as she gasped. But she also saw the flush in her cheeks that she knew hadn’t just come from the shock – it had come from the unexpected burst of arousal deep within her stomach, and the renewed flow of wetness that Regina knew without a doubt she would feel if she reached behind her and plunged her fingers back between Emma’s legs. “You do not get to speak again. I don’t want to hear your pathetic apologies.”

Emma blinked, absorbing the words, and without thinking, started to say, “I’m s—”

Regina responded by clapping a hand over her mouth. “Shut. The. Hell. Up.”

Reaching out with her spare hand, she rummaged around for the wet panties she’d tossed onto the bed earlier. When she found them, she brought them up to Emma’s face and forced them between her lips.

“I don’t want to hear another sound from you,” Regina snapped, landing a vicious slap against one of Emma’s breasts, and then the other. “Get on your stomach.”

It took Emma a few seconds before she did as she was told. As soon as she was in place, Regina grabbed the discarded ropes from the nightstand.

She pulled Emma’s arms roughly behind her and crossed them over at the small of her back.

“When you’re tied and gagged like this,” she said as she began to loop the rope around Emma’s wrists, “your safe word is opening and closing your hands three times. Do it now.”

Emma did so at once. Regina snorted. “So you can follow instructions. That’s certainly a surprise.”

A mumbling sound came from above her, and she responded by slapping the backs of Emma’s thighs. “What part of ‘shut up’ do you not understand, you stupid girl?”

She heard Emma moan, burying her face into the nearest pillow, but Regina let that one noise slide. As she finished securing Emma’s wrists, she could see her hips wriggling against the sheets, trying to subtly writhe forward and grind against the mattress. As soon as Regina was done with the ropes, she reached out for either side of her ass and pinned it down to the bed.

“Are the restraints too tight?” she asked. Emma shook her head.

“Good,” Regina said, climbing off her body and settling herself beside Emma’s legs. “Hold up one finger for green, two for orange or three for red.”

Emma responded at once with one tremulous index finger.

“Very good. Remember your signal.”

She saw Emma nod as vigorously as she could, and she snorted. She wouldn’t be so enthusiastic soon.

Regina got off the bed and walked up towards Emma’s head. Her voice was cold as she sneered down at her. “Get up.”

Emma paused, then started to struggle up onto her knees. Her panties were protruding from her mouth, and Regina could see the faintest shimmer of drool dribbling down her bottom lip. She smirked, watching Emma wobble for a few more moments, before she reached out for her arm and yanked her upright.

“Get a move on, Miss Swan. I haven’t got all day,” she said as she guided Emma to the edge of the mattress, then pushed on her shoulder to tell her to stay there. Emma sat back on her feet, swaying precariously at the edge of the bed, her chest rising and falling rapidly as her nerves started to take over.

Regina bent down and whipped off the blindfold. Emma blinked furiously, adjusting to the sudden brightness. Her eyes were wide and agitated, and Regina realised then just how much she liked them like that.

She reached out for Emma’s chin and held it gently in her hand for a moment, taking in every inch of her face with unforgiving eyes. Then, with a scoff of revulsion, she dropped it.

Regina walked back towards the bed and perched herself on the edge of the mattress, leaning back on her hands.

“Come here. Now,” she said, nodding towards her lap. She saw Emma hesitate before she shuffled towards her, her arms still pinned behind her back and her hair stuck in a sweaty mess to her shoulders and chest.

As Emma reached her side and tried to lower herself down, Regina reached out for her waist and tugged her forward so abruptly that she squeaked. Emma found herself sprawled across Regina’s lap, her cheek resting on the mattress and her knees perched awkwardly on the sheets behind her.

“Do you want a pillow under your head?” Regina asked. Emma nodded, and Regina provided her with one. She nearly laughed when Emma tried to mumble her thanks through the gag.

Emma was facing away from her, her shoulders deliciously taut from the ropes and her ass stuck up in the air. Regina began to slowly rub one of her hands over it.

“Why are we doing this, Miss Swan?” she asked, her voice expressionless. It was always the lack of emotion that made her sound most dangerous.

Trying to breath around the thick taste of her own soaked panties, Emma tried to force out a response. But Regina beat her to it.

“We’re here because you’re a dirty little slut who refuses to do as she’s told,” she said flatly, suddenly slapping her hand across Emma’s bare ass. It was harder than she’d done it before, and Emma felt her body buck upwards against the sting of it. Regina reached out to push her head back down against the pillow, and then slapped her three times in quick succession across the other buttock.

“Why did you disobey me, Emma?” Regina demanded, and again, Emma tried to offer her a muffled response. She was cut off by another fierce slap across her ass, this time dangerously close to her dripping wet core. “Is it because you’re so used to doing whatever you want? Is it because you wanted to see how mad you could make me? Or is it because you’re thinking with your cunt instead of your stupid little head?”

She plunged her fingers between Emma’s legs to prove her point, and laughed out loud when she felt the wetness oozing over them.

“You are _drenched_ ,” she said, and she sounded disgusted. Emma moaned, rolling her hips backwards against her hand. “You must be _desperate_ to be fucked. Writhing around like a dog in heat, your pussy dripping onto my leg. And I bet you’re crying again, aren’t you?”

Regina couldn’t see her face, but she knew she was right. When she didn’t get an answer, she grabbed a fistful of Emma’s hair and pulled her head off the pillow. Emma was forced to turn and look at her, and Regina immediately saw the murky tear tracks running down her cheeks.

She snorted, dropping Emma’s head back onto the pillow, now facing towards her.

“You’re dying to be fucked, aren’t you?” Regina said, and her voice almost sounded tender. Then she delivered a ringing slap against the back of Emma’s thigh, and even through the gag, Emma managed to scream.

“I’m going to teach you a thing or two about respect, Miss Swan,” Regina said, trailing her fingers gently up the back of Emma’s stinging thigh, across the curve of one buttock, then across the other and back down again. “Are you going to listen to me this time?”

Emma nodded, blinking frantically through her tears. The panties were starting to slip from her mouth.

“When I tell you to do something,” Regina said, spanking her across one ass cheek and then the other, “I don’t do it with the hope that you will do as you’ve been told. I do it _expecting_ you to.”

She plunged her fingers back between Emma legs, twisting them deep inside her and then pulling them free as soon as Emma started to moan.

“And when you choose to ignore me,” Regina continued in the same level voice, “I get quite angry.”

She illustrated this point by whipping her wet hand back down against Emma’s thigh, watching with pleasure as she squirmed against her lap.

“So angry, in fact,” Regina sighed, rubbing her palm over Emma’s red skin, “that it makes me want to make things very, _very_ difficult for you.”

She slapped Emma rapidly across the ass four more times, harder and harder with each blow, leaving her palm stinging. Emma’s eyes screwed shut. Regina pushed her fingers back into her cunt, twisting them around and pumping them back and forth several times, and Emma released a garbled moan, lifting her ass higher in the air. When she felt the brush of Regina’s thumb over her clit, she nearly screamed.

Then Regina’s hand went still, still buried deep in her pussy.

“Do you think you deserve to come, Miss Swan?”

Emma knew this was a trick question. Slowly, she shook her head.

“Correct,” Regina said, putting more weight onto her arm in order to drive her fingers even deeper. They brushed over the spongy spot deep inside her, and she felt the full-bodied shiver that rushed through Emma’s limbs. “Why is that?”

Emma couldn’t easily answer, but she still tried. “Because I came without permission.”

Regina understood her garbled words perfectly, but she pretended she hadn’t. Frowning, she said, “Try to speak properly. What did you say?”

Emma growled with frustration, wriggling back against Regina’s motionless fingers, and repeated herself. “ _Because I came without permission_.”

“You did,” Regina sighed, slowly starting to pull her fingers out. It felt like they were dragging over every single nerve in Emma’s hypersensitive body, and she arched upwards, trying to ride that miniscule wave of pleasure for a long as it would last.

Regina slapped her back down again, reaching over to tug the wet panties from Emma’s mouth and replacing them with her own sticky fingers. As she forced them between Emma’s lips, Emma choked slightly, her eyes watering all over again, but she still dutifully licked them clean, lapping up the taste of herself.

“Look at you,” Regina scoffed, abruptly pulling her fingers free and splaying them protectively across Emma’s cunt. “Such a greedy slut.”

Emma moaned at that word, her cheeks going hot. “I’m sorry, Madam Mayor.”

“You should be sorry,” Regina snapped back at her, dipping the very tips of two fingers into her entrance. Emma whimpered, pressing her face into the pillow. “You’ve disgusted me. You came all over my tongue, all over my chin, without asking me if you could. You didn’t tell me to stop. You just spread your legs and thrust this greedy little cunt into my face and did whatever you wanted, didn’t you? You were so busy trying to get your kicks that you didn’t think about what it would feel like to get punished afterwards. Did you?”

Her words were sharp and accusatory, and they hurt Emma more than she thought they would. “No, I didn’t.”

“So, tell me,” Regina asking, pulling her fingers free and slapping her viciously across her ass, one swipe right after the other, ignoring Emma’s startled yelps as she punctuated every word with another piercing blow. “Was it worth it?”

Emma moaned, torn between lifting her ass to meet the slaps and trying to wriggle away from them. Her cunt was throbbing, and that one tiny shred of relief she’d had less than 10 minutes ago hadn’t been enough – not even close. Every time Regina’s palm met the stinging skin of her backside she felt her desire grow and grow and grow, and with sweat running down her back and tears dribbling down her cheeks, she forced out through gritted teeth, “No.”

“Do you like being punished like the little whore you are?”

A hot, tight feeling was starting to corkscrew inside Emma’s body, and she fought against it. “No, no, I don’t.”

“Do you need to come, Emma?”

Emma was openly sobbing now, her shoulders shuddering, and she was vaguely aware that she was getting mascara on Regina’s white pillow. She lifted her ass higher, and Regina’s fingers drove back into her pussy, pumping in and out more purposefully now, no longer trying to tease Emma towards her limit, but instead intent on dragging her towards it whether she liked it or not.

“Yes, Madam Mayor,” Emma moaned, her limbs starting to lose all their weight. Regina reached out her spare hand and slid it through Emma’s hair, pinning her down to the bed. Emma was grateful when she did – her body was starting to go loose, and she wasn’t sure she could keep herself on Regina’s lap for much longer.

“Do you think I’m going to let you?”

Emma knew what the answer was. She didn’t have to think about it.

“No.”

“Smart girl,” Regina said, pulling her fingers free and delivering one last, agonising blow to Emma’s ass. Before she could scream, Regina forced her back up onto her knees, then pushed her towards the centre of the bed.

Emma collapsed on her stomach, her legs splayed and her hips openly grinding forward to find whatever friction they could. Suddenly Regina’s hands were on her wrists, pulling the ropes away from her, and when her arms were free once more, Regina tugged her onto her back.

Without a word, without preamble, Regina climbed onto the bed and pulled Emma’s wrists above her head. As she pinned them down, she settled her body on top of Emma’s face. Her panties were soaked, and as they grazed over Emma’s nose and mouth, she moaned out loud, letting her head fall back.

“You aren’t allowed to come,” Regina said, her voice suddenly slow and languid as she let her own pleasure build from the feeling of Emma’s lips against her concealed pussy. Her hands still gripping onto her wrists, she let her hips roll against Emma’s face. “But you will make _me_ come.”

She lifted her hips and reached down to tug her panties to one side, finally exposing her cunt to Emma’s hungry eyes. “Open your mouth.”

Emma did as she was told, and as soon as Regina had lowered herself back down again, she dragged her tongue slowly up the centre of her dripping pussy, moaning deep into Regina’s skin as she got her first proper taste of her intoxicating flavour.

Regina sighed, tightening her grip on Emma’s wrists, and writhed against her face. She felt Emma’s tongue slip inside her, as deep as it could possibly go, and her thighs clenched against the sides of her face.

Emma had been dreaming of this for months. Years. The sight of Regina above her, her eyes closed and her hair tumbling forwards and her lips parted with sigh after delicious sigh, was all she’d ever wanted since she’d arrived in that town. For as long as she could remember, all she had wanted was to pin Regina down into a mattress and run her hands across every inch of her exquisite body, kissing her until she couldn’t think straight, before delving between her legs and making her come over and over and over again until she was screaming and begging Emma to stop.

Regina really was a queen, and that was exactly what she deserved. But for now she had chosen a different kind of throne, and Emma was happy to make that work for her. As her own cunt clenched desperately around absolutely nothing, Emma buried her face in Regina’s core, lapping up her wetness and swirling it around her throbbing clit, listening to her faint whimpers and moans like she was trying to memorise them.

Regina released her wrists and leaned back, placing her hands on Emma’s breasts. The feeling of Emma’s front teeth grazing over her clit was inebriating, and she could feel her release starting to build.

Her head fell further back, her hair tickling against her trembling shoulders, and she thrust herself harder against Emma’s tongue. She didn’t look down. She didn’t notice Emma’s own eyes starting to shine, or her own hips writhing against the bed.

Wrapping her lips around Regina’s clit and closing her eyes, Emma sucked it into her mouth with a deep, dizzying moan. That was all it took.

As Regina came, her thighs clamped tightly over Emma’s face and her whimpers cascading from her in a desperate crescendo, her fingers automatically pinched around Emma’s nipples. Emma couldn’t help it – she couldn’t have stopped it for all the money in the world. With a gasp of shock and a deep, drunken tremor, she felt a flood of relief come cascading down from inside her, and came without permission for the second time that night.

She realised that she’d moaned out loud a second too late, and when she glanced anxiously upwards, Regina was already looking down at her. Her cheeks were flushed and her chest was heaving, but the suspicion in her eyes was unmissable. The disbelief. The rage.

She didn’t speak. There was nothing to say. Instead, she clambered off Emma’s face and grabbed a fistful of her hair, forcing her to sit upright and meet her accusatory stare. When she forced a kiss onto Emma’s lips, she tasted angry and salty.

She reached down and slapped her hand pitilessly against Emma’s wet cunt, and when Emma shrieked with pain, she did it again. Still holding tightly onto her hair, Regina closed her thumb and forefinger over Emma’s clit and pinched. Emma bucked forwards, whimpering, her eyes stinging with the need to cry all over again.

When the one hand released her, the other stayed in her hair. Regina crawled towards the edge of the bed and forced Emma to go with her, her fingernails buried against her scalp. Emma tumbled from the mattress as Regina started to walk around the bed, and she followed on her knees, her head perfectly in line with Regina’s perfectly pert ass. Even then, filled with regret and growing dread, she groaned. She wanted to reach out and grab it with both of her hands.

When Regina had finally reached the other side of the bed, she positioned Emma in front of the mattress.

“Stay,” she said, releasing her. Turning away from Emma’s wobbling lower lip, Regina bent forwards and slowly, gracefully peeled her drenched panties from her body. Her exposed ass was inches away from Emma’s face, and Emma couldn’t help but moan with longing at the sight of it.

Regina kicked the panties off of her heels and turned back around, sitting herself down on the edge of the mattress. With the crook of one finger, she gestured for Emma to crawl forward.

She did as she was told immediately, and was rewarded by Regina scooping up her blonde curls once more. She leaned towards Emma’s upturned face and pressed a fierce, possessive kiss against her lips. They tasted of tears, and of Regina.

Then Regina leaned back against one hand and tugged Emma forwards, guiding her back between her spread legs. Emma didn’t need to be convinced. As she buried her face in Regina’s pussy once more, Regina could feel the apology burning from her. Emma dragged her tongue over her clit with renewed enthusiasm, never letting up or minding that her jaw was starting to ache. She could feel Regina’s muscles going loose beneath her touch and she could hear the soft moans that were so unlike her starting to slip from her mouth, and she opened her eyes, desperate to catch another glimpse of Regina when she was at her very most vulnerable.

Regina’s head has thrown back, and her eyes were closed. Her right hand was still in Emma’s hair, but her grip was less forceful and more encouraging now. Emma could see the muscles in her stomach fluttering, and she could feel her growing wetness starting to slick across her chin. Emma lifted one hand and tapped gently against Regina’s thigh, never stopping her licking and sucking movements for a moment.

Regina looked down at her, her eyebrows raised, and Emma wiggled her fingers in the air. Regina understood at once what she was asking, and she nodded.

Reaching beneath her chin, Emma slid two of her fingers into Regina’s clenching pussy, and moaned into her skin when she felt the hot, thick wetness coating her fingers. She began to thrust them in and out, her tongue starting to move faster, and almost immediately she felt Regina’s grip on her hair tighten.

She was pulling Emma closer to her, pinning her fiercely against the apex of her thighs, but she needn’t have bothered. Emma wouldn’t have left that spot for anything.

The soft gasps coming from above her were getting faster and more breathless, and it wasn’t long before Regina’s eyes fluttered shut. Her chest was rising and falling abruptly, her lips slowly parting as her entire body started to fall under Emma’s spell.

White-hot sparks darted in front of her eyes, and as Emma pressed herself just that extra breath closer, her fingers driving ever so slightly deeper, Regina felt every muscle in her hot, relieved body go loose. When she came, she collapsed back against the mattress, her spare hand fisting in the sheets and her spine arching into the air.

Emma felt Regina’s pussy tighten against her fingers as a sudden burst of new wetness trickled over her outstretched tongue. She couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to stay there forever, her lips clamped around Regina’s clit and her eyes taking in every inch of her flushed, exhausted face.

Eventually Regina eased her grip on her hair and Emma pulled away, anxiously licking her lips. She rested her temple against the inside of Regina’s thigh, waiting for her next instruction. After a moment, a hand appeared in front of her face, gesturing for her to climb up onto the bed.

Emma did as she was told, sliding herself onto her stomach alongside Regina’s outstretched body. At once Regina’s face turned towards her, and she reached out to pull Emma down for a long, lingering kiss.

Emma was smiling when she pulled away. Regina, against her will, was too.

“How was that?” she asked, her voice throatier than she’d expected it to be.

Emma was already staring devotedly down at her. “That was… amazing.”

“You were amazing,” Regina said, rubbing both of her hands over her face and grimacing when they came away smudged with make up.

Emma reached out to wipe a smear of mascara away from beneath Regina’s left eye. “That was my first time… you know. Doing that. Was it okay?”

Regina rolled her eyes as wryly as she could. “Miss Swan, you just made me come twice in less than five minutes. I think you’ll find it was very much more than okay.”

Emma couldn’t help but smirk. She leaned forwards to kiss Regina’s mouth one more time, then rolled onto her back, settling down beside her.

Her wrists were starting to sting from the earlier ropes malfunction, but she couldn’t say she minded that much. She had a feeling she’d enjoy the having the reminder.

She let her eyes close for a moment, her heart still racketing against her chest, and listened to the sound of Regina breathing beside her. She didn’t realise that Regina had turned her head and was watching her, a soft, surprised smile on her mouth.

After a few minutes of silence, Regina heard herself asking, “What are you thinking about?”

She winced at once, hearing how needy she sounded, but Emma just smiled.

“I was just wondering why you ever thought you needed to learn magic,” she said sleepily, not opening her eyes. “You have more than enough of it all on your own.”


	3. Chapter 3

 

The walls of Granny's were thin – Regina had learned that the hard way several years ago. Because of this, she suspected that telling Emma to meet her there probably wasn't her smartest idea. But the thrill that came with the idea of being caught in the act was more than enough to make up for it.

Besides, she thought with a twist of a smile – she had her own unique ways of ensuring Emma stayed quiet.

She checked into the room, unable to meet Granny's eye as she did so, and made her way up the stairs 30 minutes earlier than the time she had told Emma in her text. She had a few things she needed to set up before the sheriff arrived, and she wanted everything to be perfect from the moment she stepped in the door.

Getting everything ready helped her slip into her role more easily. She ducked into the bathroom to have a quick shower, being careful not to let her hair or perfectly made-up face get wet, and then set about fixing up the room. She closed the curtains, unpacked the series of items she'd brought with her into the top drawer of the dresser, then spent a good five minutes rummaging about under all four corners of the mattress, securing the nylon ropes to the planks underneath the bed. When they were attached, she pushed them down into the corners of the bedframe, out of sight.

She was just checking her lipstick in the mirror when there was a knock at the door.

When she opened it, Emma looked so unbelievably pleased to see her that she almost staggered backwards from the force of her beaming smile.

"Hey," she said, slightly breathless. "Am I late?"

"Actually, you're right on time," Regina said, taking a step back to allow her to walk inside. "Did you come in the back door?"

"Yeah," Emma said, brushing past her. "No one saw me."

"Good," Regina replied, locking the door behind her. Reaching past Emma, she collected two glasses of wine off the nearby desk.

"For you," she said, holding one out. Emma blinked down at it.

"I'm allowed a drink?"

"Only a very small one," Regina said, taking a sip of her own. "Please don't use this as an excuse to get wasted. I just want you to feel a little bit looser before we begin."

These words seemed to spark something new and exciting in Emma. Her eyes were wide as she tilted her glass towards Regina's, clinking them together. "Does that mean I should be prepared for something a bit crazy?"

Regina smirked at her. Emma loved it when she did that.

"I wouldn't call it 'crazy'," Regina said, taking another sip of wine. She sounded like she was going to elaborate, but she didn't. Emma rolled her eyes.

"As unhelpful as usual," she said, turning to take in the room. It wasn't the one she'd stayed in during her first few days in Storybrooke, but it looked similar – floral bed sheets, fading wallpaper, a vase of dried flowers that she suspected was meant to brighten things up a bit. She laughed, shaking her head.

"So, how come you wanted to meet here tonight?"

Regina shrugged. "Henry's at home. He doesn't have any plans to go out at all this week, and I wanted to see you."

Emma's cheeks immediately went pink. She turned back with a small smile on her lips. "You did?"

"Of course," Regina said, stepping towards her. She was frowning slightly as she reached out to tuck a stray curl behind Emma's ear. "You don't always have to sound so surprised."

Emma swallowed hard. It always threw her off a bit when Regina touched her like that before they were officially playing. When Regina's fingers brushed against her cheek, they sent sparks shooting through her that she knew she wasn't meant to be feeling outside of their arrangement. She forced a smile, trying to shake it off.

"We could have met at my place."

Regina dropped her gaze. Emma was wearing a tight black tank top under her black leather jacket – she'd thankfully stopped wearing the Mary Margaret-style florid blouses the second Hook had disappeared from town – and she could just about catch a glimmer of her cleavage peeking out the top.

"We could have," Regina said, then sighed. "To be honest, Emma, I don't know your house very well. I'm not sure how comfortable I'd feel slipping into my role when we are on your turf, and I have no idea where the boundaries are."

Emma smiled. "Yeah, I get that. But, just so you know, the boundaries are pretty much the same as they are anywhere else. You can do what you like – you should know that by now."

When Regina simply nodded, Emma added with a twang of trepidation, "But maybe you should come round some time. You could have a proper look around and get comfortable there. I could cook."

She was only mildly offended when Regina looked back at her in absolute horror. "You're going to make me food?"

"Hey, I'm a good cook," Emma said, reaching out to cuff Regina's arm. "I don't just live off of Pop Tarts and Lucky Charms."

"Name one thing you can cook that you think I would actually eat," Regina demanded. This was a different kind of challenge to those Emma was used to in the bedroom, but she was still more than happy to play along.

"I roast a killer chicken."

Regina laughed out loud. "You could not have phrased that more poorly."

"You don't believe me?"

"I'm afraid I don't."

"Then you're just going to have to come round and see," Emma said, although she could already picture herself getting absolutely hammered while trying to cook dinner, her eyes constantly on the clock and counting down just how many minutes and seconds were left before Regina would arrive. She ignored the rising panic. "Some time next week. You can choose when is best for you."

"And what happens if you give me food poisoning?" Regina asked, but she was smiling.

"Then I'll owe you a billion orgasms."

"A billion?" Regina raised her eyebrows. "That's quite a promise."

"Fine," Emma rolled her eyes. "Let's call it five. And if it's delicious and I see you sneaking seconds, then you owe me five instead."

Regina's eyes were already flashing, and Emma could see the pieces of a particularly devious jigsaw puzzle falling into place in her head.

"You've got yourself a deal," Regina said, holding out her right hand. Emma shook it, ignoring the shiver that scurried through her bones as Regina's fingers gripped onto her own.

Emma dropped her hand as quickly as she could, then walked over to the bed, sitting down near the pillows. A question was suddenly niggling at her, and she tried to blame the three sips of wine she'd had for making her blurt it out.

"Did you do this stuff with Graham?"

Regina blinked. "Graham?"

"The… surroundings," Emma said weakly, gesturing around her. "It reminded me."

Regina paused before she walked across to the armchair in the corner of the room. Sitting down, she said, "Yes. I did."

"Did you let him dominate you?"

Regina couldn't help but laugh. She kept her eyes fixed carefully on Emma's face as she replied, "No, Emma. I dominated him."

Sure enough, Emma's cheeks turned bright pink. She took a hearty gulp of her wine before she choked out, "Oh. Right."

"Does that bother you?"

"Not… especially," Emma said, although the shocked expression on her face said otherwise. "It's just not what I expected you to say. But… I guess, thinking about what he was like, I suppose it does kind of make sense."

She fell silent for a moment, and then, after a beat, laughed through her nose.

"I guess it's for the best that I never slept with him," she said. "From what I hear, two bottoms don't really work that well together."

Regina chuckled, tilting her head slightly. Emma's eyes immediately fell to the graceful curve of her neck, and she felt her thighs squeeze together of their own accord.

Then, to her own annoyance, she heard herself asking, "What about Robin?"

Regina sighed. "Do you really want to know this?"

"…yes," Emma said uncertainly.

"Robin and I tried it both ways, but it wasn't really his thing," Regina said, her face carefully expressionless. "It only happened a handful of times. The rest of the time, things were very… normal."

Emma nodded. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's alright," Regina said, bringing her glass back to her lips. "You're allowed to be curious about these things. It's not like you and I are dating, after all."

Her stomach twisted as she said those words. She thought she saw a flicker of disappointment on Emma's face.

"That is true," Emma said slowly, her eyes falling to look at the glass resting between her own hands.

Regina swallowed, leaning forwards slightly. "On that note, though – I feel like I should tell you something."

"Shoot."

"Well," Regina said. "When I'm engaged in one of these arrangements, I can be a bit… protective."

Emma looked up then. "What do you mean?"

"If this was a very casual thing, like it was with me and Graham, I probably wouldn't care much what you were doing outside of our meetings," Regina said, trying to gauge Emma's reaction. "But as it is, I feel like we are getting on well and every time we meet up like this, things get better and better. Would you… I mean, do you agree?"

But Emma was already nodding. "Of course I do. It's why I always want to see you again so quickly afterwards."

Regina smiled, resolutely ignoring the fluttering feeling in her heart. "In that case, I have to be honest and tell you that I would prefer it if you weren't sleeping with anyone else while you are doing this with me. I wouldn't be either. Of course, if one of us were to meet someone new and would like to end this arrangement, then that would be another matter. But in the meantime, I'd prefer it if we had a certain degree of exclusivity in this relationship."

Emma was trying to suppress her delighted smile, but she was failing. "I guess that's fine by me. I mean, that's good. Cool. Whatever you want."

Regina nodded back at her. "Very good. I'm glad we agree."

Silence fell once more, and before Regina could stop herself or tell herself she was stepping outside their boundaries, she got to her feet and walked the four short steps towards where Emma was sitting on the edge of the bed. Prising her wine glass from her fingers, she placed both the drinks on the nightstand, then turned back to find Emma staring up at her with wide, devoted eyes.

Slipping her arms around Emma's neck, Regina climbed onto her lap and crushed their lips together in a biting, possessive kiss. Emma's hands immediately grabbed hold of her thighs, tugging her closer, and Regina let her. This was different from normal – Emma wasn't her sub right now. For a brief snatch of time, she had free reign to do whatever she liked.

Besides, Regina was too busy burying her hands in Emma's hair and rolling her hips forward against her body to care about anything else that was happening around her.

When Regina didn't slap her hands away, Emma let them slide higher, until they were firmly cupping her ass. She squeezed hard, pulling Regina flush against her lap, and gently flicked her tongue through her mouth. Regina moaned, wriggling slightly, and returned her grip to the back of Emma's neck, holding on tightly like she was the only life raft left in a storm. Parts of her were becoming familiar now, but the feeling of kissing her – feeling her short nails digging into her skin, her breasts pressed firmly against her body – still made Regina go weak.

She could feel herself melting into Emma's body as their tongues curled around each other, and it took all the self-restraint she had left in the world to pull away, breathing heavily, and mutter in Emma's ear, "I don't like to share. Remember that."

Emma was already nodding, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat. Regina's breath on her ear was hot and tantalising and she wanted nothing more than to throw Regina onto the bed beside her and tear her clothes clean off of her body.

But she didn't – she just closed her eyes, holding tightly onto Regina's waist, and waited for what was coming next. Because she had heard the tone of her voice changing, and she knew that even though nothing had been said, they had begun. The power balance in the room had shifted just like that.

Part of Regina didn't want it to. Part of her wanted to gently peel Emma's clothes from her body and make love to her in a way that didn't require permission or commands or some tacit sexual hierarchy. But that wasn't their arrangement, and she knew it. Anything other than what they'd already decided on would cause more complications than either of them was ready for.

Besides, when she gently removed her hands from behind Emma's head, letting her nails trail across the tender skin below her jaw, the whimper that Emma released was too damn delicious to ignore.

Leaning back, Regina coolly regarded Emma's unblinking eyes and slightly tremulous lower lip.

"Since we're here, there's a new rule."

Emma's expression didn't waver, but her fingers dug in slightly harder to Regina's waist as she asked, "What is it?"

"I hate to tell you this, Emma," Regina said, using her thumb to trace the outline of Emma's mouth. "But the soundproofing in these rooms leaves a lot to be desired."

At once, Emma was smirking. Regina gripped hold of her chin until she stopped.

"Needless to say, I'd prefer it if Granny didn't come barging in here demanding to know what all the shouting is about," she said. "So your task for tonight, in addition to all the other things that you haven't quite gotten the hang of yet, is to keep this pretty mouth of yours shut."

Emma swallowed. "What if I can't stay quiet?"

"Try."

"But what if I  _can't_?" Emma persisted. "Come on, Regina. The way you touch me, you can't really be expecting me to not make any noise at all."

The look on Regina's face told her what she needed to know: she didn't actually want her to be quiet. She just wanted to watch her try.

"If you really are struggling," Regina said, tucking Emma's hair behind her ear. "Then I am sure I can find a few ways to subdue you."

Emma's cheeks immediately went pink, and Regina leaned forwards to press a kiss against one of them. "Do you understand the rules?"

Nodding, Emma said, "I have to obey you, and I have to do it quietly."

"Very nicely summarised," Regina said. "Let's see if you manage to do as you're told this time."

Her infuriating tone of voice made Emma even more desperate to prove her wrong. But, as usual, she already knew she would fail.

Regina abruptly climbed off her lap, grabbing hold of her jacket and pulling her along with her. She walked backwards with Emma's lapel fisted in her hand, luring her back across to the other side of the room. When she reached the armchair she'd been sat in moments before, she stopped walking. She tugged Emma's jacket from her shoulders and tossed it onto the floor.

Gesturing for Emma to wait where she was, Regina took a final step back and sat down, crossing her legs over.

"Shoes," she said, placing her hands on the arm rests.

Emma jumped, feeling like she was being scolded, before she bent down to unzip her boots and kick them to one side. She automatically went to peel her socks off as well, but was stopped by the sound of Regina snapping her fingers at her.

Looking up, she found Regina watching her expectantly. "Did I tell you to take those off?"

Emma straightened up. "No, Madam Mayor."

"So why did you do it?"

"I assumed—"

"You're always assuming things," Regina interrupted her frostily. "It's dangerous. Just do as you're told."

Emma took a deep breath, annoyed with herself for failing so quickly, and nodded. She told herself to be more careful.  _Think of it like Simon Says._

She waited for her next instruction. As she suspected, Regina immediately said, "Take off your socks."

God, it took every ounce of willpower left in her body not to roll her eyes.  _Regina says, take off your socks._  She bent forwards and peeled them off, then dropped them onto the carpet.

Then she waited. Regina's mouth flickered with a smile.

"Shirt."

Emma did as instructed, savouring the way Regina sharply inhaled as her breasts came into view. Her bra was lacy and mostly see-through, and she'd suspected that Regina would like it.

She had suspected right: Regina was just looking at her, her cool mask unable to hide the longing behind her eyes. After a few moments, she nodded.

"Very nice," she said softly, making Emma's heart leap. Then Regina shook herself slightly, like she was willing herself to snap out of a trance, and continued with her instructions.  _Regina says take off your jeans. Bra. Panties._

Emma found herself stood completely naked far too quickly for her liking, and she realised then that the room was cold. Really fucking cold. Feeling her skin break out with a million tiny goose pimples, she forced herself to stand still, letting Regina's dark, assessing gaze crawl down every inch of her prickling body.

"Come here, Miss Swan."

Her voice was low and commanding, and Emma didn't have to bother telling her feet to move towards it. They went of their own accord, drawn to the woman who already yielded so much power over her that it would have been completely terrifying if it wasn't for the fact that her cunt was already aching with the desire to be touched by her, and her alone.

Emma reached the very tips of Regina's heeled feet and stopped walking. She dropped her gaze, letting it rest on the flash of black lace that was peeking out from beneath Regina's silky blue shirt, and she held her breath.

Regina slowly uncrossed her legs, spreading them slightly just so she could watch Emma's chest hitch up in surprise, before pressing her knees back together again. She said, "Turn around."

Slowly, Emma turned on the spot, keeping her eyes on the ground and her breath held in her chest. When she was facing away from Regina, she waited, all too aware of how close her naked ass was to Regina's insatiable stare. She braced herself, waiting for the slap of a palm against her skin, and was slightly disappointed when it never came.

Instead, Regina reached out for her hips and tugged her abruptly backwards. Emma collapsed into Regina's lap with a squeak of surprise. Before she could wriggle away, Regina pulled her shoulders firmly back against her chest, before reaching around to slap at the inside of her thighs. Emma took the hint and spread her legs, placing them carefully on the outside of Regina's.

She took a deep, sobering breath and forced herself to calm down. She was shivering, and not just from the icy room – the feeling of Regina's entire body pressed so tightly against her own, the tips of her fingers still gripped against the insides of her naked thighs, was overwhelming and almost suffocating. She could feel Regina's breath against her ear and the ferocious pounding of her heart between her shoulder blades.

"Look up, Miss Swan."

Emma did as she was told, and realised with a jolt that they were sat directly opposite the mirror on the other side of the small room. It had been carefully positioned at such an angle that Emma could see the both of them with ease, from her own pointed toes just about reaching the floor, to Regina's self-satisfied face resting on her right shoulder.

"Do not shut your eyes," Regina said. "Do not make a sound. I will let you come right away, as long as you follow those instructions."

For a split second, Emma was slightly disappointed that she was going to be allowed to have an orgasm so soon. But she quickly realised how naïve she was being – Regina wasn't actually expecting that to happen. She knew Emma too well by now. She knew she wouldn't manage this.

Emma gripped her fingers around the arm rests, determined to win a round against Regina for once, and watched as Regina's hands slowly trailed up from her thighs to her stomach to her breasts. She cupped them gently, tracing the curve of them with the length of her fingers, before seeking out Emma's nipples and firmly pinching. Emma released a hiss of breath, arching her back away from Regina's body, but she didn't shout out like she wanted to. Her eyes stayed open, and she allowed herself a tiny smirk of pride. But Regina, too, was smiling in the mirror. That made Emma's fleeting sense of triumph disappear like smoke.

Regina began to slowly trace the tips of her index fingers around Emma's nipples, barely touching her, almost as if she was bored. She didn't change her pressure, and in the mirror her eyes never left Emma's. Emma was forced to look back at her. She bit down on her lip, the light touch on her breasts quickly becoming maddening, and wriggled against Regina's lap. Regina responded by spreading her legs slightly, forcing Emma's further open with them.

Regina cupped Emma's breasts once more, more firmly this time, and rubbed her thumbs over nipples that were now stiff and aching to be pinched harder. Emma gasped at the contact, thrusting her chest forwards. She watched herself do it in the mirror and blushed – the sight of herself, pink in the cheeks and already writhing around in Regina's lap, was foreign and uncomfortable, but she couldn't look away. Not if she wanted to win.

She watched Regina's hands scoop up her breasts, holding them tightly for just one moment of bliss, before she released them once more, her fingers going back to their slow, agonising trawl around the dark barrier of Emma's nipples.

Emma groaned and, without thinking, her eyes started to flicker shut. She caught herself at the very last second and snapped her gaze back onto the mirror, where Regina was watching her with a glimmer of amusement on her face.

"Not bad," she murmured, pressing a kiss against the curve where Emma's shoulder met her neck. Emma moaned, rolling her ass back against Regina's hips, and fought the urge to scream out loud. Somehow, this was worse than Regina torturing her with a Hitachi magic wand – worse than not being touched at all. The feeling of Regina's fingers ever so gently skimming over her sensitive skin was making her whole body prickle, and if it wasn't for the promise of what must surely be coming next, Emma might have peeled herself away from the chair and given up altogether.

"You're not thinking of quitting already, are you?" Regina asked, reading her thoughts just like she always managed to do. Emma growled in response, either unwilling or unable to answer with words, and wriggled against Regina's lap once more.

"Stop that," Regina snapped, fiercely pinching Emma's nipples. Emma gasped, throwing her head back, and just like that, it was all worth it. She shot from frustrated to nearly coming in less than a second, and she was left completely breathless by the force of it. She wasn't looking in the mirror anymore, but her eyes were open, and she could feel Regina's astounded gaze on the side of her face.

"Did you just come?" she asked, sounding more impressed than annoyed. Emma shook her head, her cunt pulsating furiously, the high already ebbing away from her.

"Very nearly." Her voice was hoarse with shock, and the fact that Regina's fingers were still on her nipples wasn't helping. She swallowed. "That's never happened before."

"Well. It hasn't technically happened yet," Regina pointed out. There was a faint sheen of sweat on Emma's forehead. "But I will personally see to it that it does one day."

The breath of anticipation that came from Emma's parted lips told her that if she wanted to, she could do it right then and there. Regina still had her breasts in her hands and one more pinch, one squeeze that erred just slightly on the side of painful, would be enough to tip her completely over the edge. Regina paused, then bent her head and hooked Emma's earlobe into her mouth, gently capturing it between her teeth.

"But not now," she murmured as she released it, and at once Emma slumped back against her.

"You said I could come right away if I followed your rules."

"I did," Regina said, her fingers once again resuming their path around Emma's nipples. Her toes curled when Emma whimpered. "And you are following them beautifully. But I'm still allowed a little fun, aren't I?"

Emma didn't respond. At once, Regina's hands stopped moving.

"Answer me, Emma."

Whenever Regina's voice went dark like that, it did strange, forbidden things to Emma. She desperately wanted to push her legs further apart, or snap them back together, or grab hold of Regina's hand and force it down between them. She wanted to turn around and press herself against Regina's body and grind her slick cunt against the fabric of her skirt. Regina's voice made her think of red lips and white teeth and lewd, glimmering eyes, and she wanted to bury herself in all of it.

Her toes grazed against the carpet, her chest hitching up slightly higher in the air, and with her eyes wide open and staring blurrily up at the ceiling, she choked out, "Yes, Madam Mayor. Whatever fun you want."

Regina heard the desperation in her voice. It was delicious.

She bent forwards and planted her mouth against Emma's neck, biting down as hard as she dared, as her tongue swirled over the slightly damp skin. Emma clapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming, pushing herself harder against Regina's touch. Distracted by the vibrations of pleasure rushing through her skin, she didn't notice Regina's hands leaving her breasts and creeping downwards.

Pulling her mouth away, Regina murmured, "Look back up please, Miss Swan."

Emma did as she was told, forcing her head forwards and fixing her slightly blurry eyes on the mirror in front of her. There was a dark purple mark on her throat and her hair was stuck to her damp forehead. But she couldn't concentrate on any of that for too long – not when the sight of Regina's hands planted on the insides of her thighs was slowly coming into focus. Her thumbs mere millimetres away from her pussy and Emma whimpered, watching the way her stomach muscles clenched with shock and almost painful restraint in the reflection. She wanted to wriggle forwards, to tempt Regina's fingers to touch her where she needed them, but she didn't. She could still win this. She was desperate to.

Biting down on her tongue, Emma forced herself to sit perfectly still, her knuckles white against the rough fabric of the arm rests.

"You're demonstrating some self-restraint today," Regina noted, removing one hand from Emma's thigh and pushing the damp hair away from her face. "I'm impressed."

"Thank you, Madam Mayor," Emma said through gritted teeth.

"I can see how wet you are, you know."

Emma glanced down automatically. Sure enough, she could see her own arousal glistening on her skin. She looked away, trembling with a perverse mixture of desire and embarrassment, and immediately the hand on the side of her face shifted, moving down to her chin. Regina gripped hold and turned her head back, forcing Emma to look towards the mirror once more.

"Don't look away," she said, and it wasn't a command for once. Her voice was soft. Emma swallowed, her eyes meeting Regina's in the reflection. "You look so beautiful."

Emma opened her mouth, then slowly closed it. To her surprise, Regina smiled.

"You can say it," she said, stroking her thumb over Emma's jaw. "I won't punish you."

She watched as Emma's eyes dropped for a moment, looking back down to her spread legs before immediately snapping away again. "I don't think I do."

"Hmm," Regina said, pressing another kiss against Emma's shoulder. "Well. That is a shame – I wonder if there's anything I can do to convince you?"

Again, Emma's mouth opened and then immediately closed. She shook her head.

"No?" Regina asked. Without warning, her right hand crept up those last few inches and rested flatly over Emma's soaked cunt. Emma gasped, automatically arching her back, her gaze dropping back down to stare at Regina's fingers without a second thought. Regina smirked. "How about now?"

Emma laughed – she couldn't help it. "You can't  _trick_ me into watching myself."

"No tricks required, Miss Swan," Regina said, radiating smugness. "I just know what you want."

Emma swallowed, her eyes still fixed on Regina's fingers like if she stared hard enough, she could will them to move. "And what do I want?"

Regina leaned forwards, pressing her mouth against Emma's ear, and murmured, "You want to come all over these fingers. And you want to do it with your eyes closed, just so you can get punished for it afterwards."

The instant blush in Emma's cheeks told her how right she was. Emma pushed her hips forward against Regina's fingers, desperate to feel some friction against her pussy, but as usual, Regina was one step ahead of her. Her hand perfectly followed Emma's movement, her grip loose and just a millimetre too far away, and the disappointment only made the throbbing in her clit intensify.

"However," Regina continued, her lips still pressed against Emma's ear. "This isn't about what you want, is it Miss Swan?"

At once, Emma was shaking her head. "No, Madam Mayor."

"What is it about?"

"It's about what you want."

"And what else?"

"And it's about pleasing you."

"Good girl," Regina said, kissing the side of her face. "And do you want to know what  _I_ want?"

Emma nodded, holding her breath.

"I want you to watch yourself come," Regina murmured, falling slightly in love with the way that Emma's eyes were shining. "I want you to watch how beautiful you are when you are completely lost in this. I want you to see what I see. If you can do that for me, then I will reward you afterwards."

Emma looked worried as she forced herself to say, "I'm not… I'm not sure I will be able to come while looking at myself."

Regina just smiled. "How about you let me worry about that?"

Before Emma could refuse, Regina's fingers grazed over her clit, sending an intense shiver rushing through her body. She groaned, wriggling her hips once more, and nodded.

"Okay."

"Good," Regina said, her left hand returning to its position just beneath Emma's breasts. "No closing your eyes unless you are blinking. I want you to see all of this."

Emma nodded nervously. "Okay."

Regina hesitated. Part of her wanted to question exactly why Emma found the idea of watching herself being touched quite so terrifying – but that was a question for another day. Right now was for proving to her why it was anything but.

Letting her hand go slack at the wrist, Regina dragged the tips of her fingers up Emma's slit, keeping her touch deliberately light as it grazed over her. At once, she felt Emma's legs tremble, her hips rolling back. Regina pressed her other hand flat against Emma's abdomen, holding her firmly in place, and let her fingers continue their leisurely work. They barely made contact with Emma's wet skin, but just the slightest of touches felt electric, and already Emma was groaning, her gaze now fixed on the mirror, staring at what was going on between her legs. Her cheeks were a dark, mottled pink, and maybe it was from embarrassment, or maybe it wasn't. It didn't matter. Her eyes were looking exactly where Regina hoped they would be, and if she was still feeling self-conscious now, she sure as hell wouldn't by the time she was through with her.

Tightening her grip around Emma's waist, Regina drew her right hand slowly, deliberately up along Emma's cunt, making sure her fingers parted her as they pressed down. Emma shivered, trying to thrust herself forwards against her touch. Regina's fingers spread her further, and Emma was faced with herself, fully exposed, unimaginably naked, and she wanted to look away. She wanted to slam her legs shut again – she knew Regina would be disappointed if she did, but she wouldn't punish her. Not for this.

But a niggle of curiosity was scratching at the back of her mind, and she forced herself to keep watching as Regina's fingers spread her open. The mirror was far away and she couldn't see the finer details, but she realised with a moan that might have been of pleasure that she could see the wetness shimmering on herself. She squirmed against Regina once more, unsure whether she was trying to pull away or encourage her to keep going. Luckily for her, Regina didn't seem to care much. She just continued her slow, almost methodical ministrations, her eyes dark and inquiring in the mirror. No matter how uncomfortable Emma had insisted she was feeling five minutes earlier, Regina was the one who could feel the slick arousal on her pussy now. The fact that she still wasn't telling her to stop gave her all the encouragement she needed to keep going.

Drawing her fingers upwards, they finally settled on her clit. Emma released a low moan of gratitude, her eyes near flickering shut, as Regina began to circle it, just as slowly and as painstakingly as she had done everything that night. She had all the time in the world, evidently, and it didn't seem to bother her that Emma was starting to sweat from the anticipation. Quite the opposite – Regina bent her head forward and gently nipped at Emma's shoulder, tasting the salty nervousness of her, and sighed.

"I could watch you all day, you know," she whispered, and Emma's hips thrust forward once more. She didn't respond, because she couldn't – breathing was already becoming a struggle for her, and as Regina's fingers ever so delicately traced another circle around her throbbing clit, she realised with a jolt that a loose tingling had started to build up in her limbs.

Regina grinned at her reflection, and then her touch became slightly firmer. Emma watched unblinkingly, her gaze automatically drawn to the most intimate and terrifying thing she'd ever seen. No one had ever touched her like this before. No one had ever wanted to.

The moment this thought slipped into her mind, she couldn't help herself: Emma turned her head and sought out Regina's mouth, surprising her with a hot, furious kiss that brimmed with desperation and gratitude and pleasure. Regina's fingers stilled for a split second as she reacted to the feeling of Emma's lips moving against her own. Her eyes had closed, but Regina let her get away with it. She could have this one.

Besides – as soon as Regina slid a single finger inside her, they snapped right back open again.

Turning back towards the mirror, Emma watched as Regina began to slowly move that finger inside her, her thumb resting firmly on her clit. It wasn't enough – it wasn't anywhere  _near_ enough. Emma wanted to be filled up and fucked senseless and she wanted Regina's hands on her throat and her breasts and her wrists as she did it. But Regina was intent on taking her sweet time tonight, and it wasn't because she wanted to make this hard for her. She realised with a shiver that it was because she wanted to make it easier.

Because by now Emma's eyes couldn't have dragged themselves away from the reflection of her own cunt even if the room had caught fire. She watched hungrily as one of Regina's fingers became two, and as they slowly slid in and then out of her, they reappeared coated in a glistening wetness. Emma whimpered, the room no longer cold but burning hot, and she writhed against Regina's lap, desperately trying to gain some more contact. Regina hummed against her shoulder, rolling her thumb leisurely over Emma's clit once more, and savoured the frustrated moan that came from Emma's lips with it.

"Shh," Regina murmured against her neck. "Remember what I told you about soundproofing."

Emma choked out a laugh, too lost in herself to give a damn about who could hear them, and lifted her eyes to meet Regina's in the mirror. As she did, she caught sight of her own face: she looked wild, her hair knotted around her shoulders and her lips slightly parted as she gasped out her futile, wordless pleas. There was a new flush in her cheeks, and below that her breasts were heaving up and down as she desperately struggled to catch her breath.

Regina followed her gaze, and met it by lifting her left hand to cup Emma's breast, brushing her fingertips along the curve of it before reaching up to squeeze the nipple between her thumb and forefinger. Emma moaned slightly louder, her hips rolling forward, and without thinking, her eyes fluttered shut.

Regina noticed at once, and she knew what she was supposed to do. She'd laid out the rules clearly enough. But for a split second, she could watch Emma in the mirror without being watched herself, and the sight was so mind-numbingly beautiful that she suddenly didn't care very much about punishing her. They could get to that later. Now was about whether she was enjoying herself or not – and, with a skip of satisfaction, Regina realised that she certainly was.

"Eyes, Miss Swan," she murmured, and at once Emma's eyelids snapped back open, full of nervousness and apology. But when Regina's fingers didn't stop moving – in fact, they finally seemed to be speeding up – Emma let herself relax once more, pressing herself back against Regina's body, and against all odds, spread her legs even further. The feeling of Regina's thumb pressed possessively over her clit was agonising, and she loved it. She drank in the sight of it, her every muscle trembling, watching as she let herself be fucked by a set of fingers that knew her body even better than she did.

Those fingers began to move faster, driving into her more purposefully. Regina's other hand stayed on Emma's breast, tenderly rolling it beneath her palm, and the burst of sensations from all sides of her body started to make Emma's limbs go loose. White sparks were flashing up before her eyes, and she could feel that familiar heat starting to corkscrew deep in her stomach.

"Regina," she gasped, her legs spread as far as they would go and her hips grinding obscenely against Regina's fingers. "Madam Mayor. Can I please…?"

"As long as you don't close your eyes," Regina murmured, sounding slightly breathless herself, "you can come as hard as you like."

Emma whimpered, her hand reaching up to cling to the back of Regina's neck, as she rode that wave of pleasure closer and closer to the top. She could hear the wet, sucking sounds coming from her pussy and, what's more, she could  _see_ them. Regina's fingers were drenched as they ploughed into her, and there was a sheen of wetness plastered across the insides of her thighs. She could see the shimmer of sweat on her chest and the desperate glint in her eyes, and in the split second when she realised that Regina had been right about this, about absolutely all of this, she came with a low, rasping moan that threatened to take her breath away.

At once Regina's left hand reached up to clap across her mouth, but it did very little to smother her. Especially not when her right hand was still furiously pumping into her cunt, Emma's wetness dribbling down onto her palm and towards her wrist. Emma was writhing furiously against her lap, her mouth wide and her legs so tensed that they looked like they could snap. But she never closed her eyes. She watched every last second of it, of herself riding Regina's fingers until there was nothing left to take from them.

She slumped back against Regina's chest, her eyes finally shut, and tried to catch her breath. She vaguely registered a pair of lips pressing against her temple.

"How was that?"

Emma tried to respond, but words were beyond her. Her face was close to Regina's and the smell of her hair and her perfume and her skin was intoxicating.

When her question was left unanswered, Regina chuckled gently, brushing the tip of her nose against Emma's ear.

"You did very well."

"Did I?" Emma laughed, her eyes still closed. Regina's arms were wrapped around her waist and it felt strangely comforting. "I broke nearly all of your rules."

"You did," Regina agreed. "But it was a special situation. Besides – I have plenty of time to punish you later."

Emma snorted. "Give me a minute to prepare for that."

"You can have all the time you need."

"Do you want me to get up?" Emma asked, though she made no effort to move. "Am I heavy?"

"Not at all," Regina said, her arms automatically tightening around Emma's waist. "Don't go anywhere."

She had pulled her legs back together again, and the feeling of Emma's feet grazing over her ankles sent a sudden wave of sadness rocketing through her. It was like she was nostalgic for something that hadn't happened yet.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Emma replied, her voice hazy and slow.

Regina swallowed. "Do you think you're beautiful?"

She felt Emma tense up immediately, and somehow knew her eyes were open again.

"Where's that come from?"

"You know where," Regina said.

Emma sighed. "We don't need to talk about it."

"I know we don't  _need_ to," Regina said, loosening her grip in case Emma wanted to get up. "But I want to. When I told you what we were going to do, you looked like you might have a panic attack."

"You're exaggerating a bit," Emma scoffed. "I was just slightly uncomfortable with the idea because I've never done that before. But I did it, didn't I? And it was good."

"Good?" Regina asked. Emma could hear the irony in her voice.

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes. "Very good. Great. It was amazing. You were right."

"You should know that I always am," Regina laughed, pressing her cheek against Emma's temple. "I just want you to explain to me why it was such a terrible idea for you."

"I don't  _know_ , Regina," Emma said, wriggling slightly. "It just felt weird. I don't look at myself in the mirror and think 'Oh, hot  _damn_ ' like I imagine you probably do."

"And why do you think I must do that?"

"Because look at you," Emma said, turning her head to do just that. "If I looked like you, I sure as hell would."

A proud blush spread across Regina's cheeks. She asked, "And what do you think when you look at yourself?"

Emma looked back towards the mirror, shrugging. "I don't know. Not much. Just… 'Oh, there I am again', I guess."

Regina joined her in looking in the mirror.

"How about now?"

Emma could see Regina's worried eyes peering over the top of her shoulder, and she smiled. "Pretty much the same. Rome wasn't built in a day."

Regina had to concede that she had a point. "Fine. But I'm making it my personal mission to change your mind about that."

"Regina, since the first day we've met, you've been telling me that I have far too high an opinion of myself. I don't think you making me feel beautiful is going to be beneficial to you."

"Perhaps not," Regina admitted. "But it will be to you."

Emma's heart throbbed as the full weight of those words settled down on it.

"Careful," Emma said. "You almost sound like you care."

A flash of what looked like disappointment crossed over Regina's face before she smiled back at her. "You're absolutely right – we can't have that."

Emma felt Regina starting to shift beneath her, and she finally got up off her lap. "Sorry. You should have told me to move."

"You weren't heavy," Regina said. "I'm just impatient."

Emma's fingers twitched against her thighs. She hesitated before asking, "…impatient for what?"

And all of a sudden, there it was again: that dark, calculating look that Emma had already come to know and love over the past couple of weeks. Regina quirked one eyebrow and said in her silkiest voice, "Impatient to fuck you again."

Emma laughed nervously and said, "It's only been two minutes since you last did." Regina didn't join her.

"And that's more than long enough."

Emma fell quiet at once, that excited, slightly apprehensive fizzing feeling that made her stomach feel like it had been hitched three inches higher than normal rushing back over her. Unable to speak, she settled for nodding.

"Do you need more time to prepare?" Regina asked her, lifting her chin. Emma shook her head immediately.

"No. I don't think so."

"I don't want you to 'think so' – I want you to be  _sure_ ," Regina said coolly. "Go and get your wine. Get mine too."

Suddenly painfully aware of the fact that she was completely naked and Regina, as usual, was fully dressed, Emma did as she was told. She could feel a set of dark eyes staring shamelessly at her ass as she walked over to the nightstand. Deciding that she may as well give Regina a bit of a show, she deliberately exaggerated the sway of her hips as she walked. She thought she heard a sigh from behind her.

Emma returned to Regina's side with a glass in either hand. She proffered the one with dark red lipstick staining the rim.

Regina didn't look at her as she took it. She didn't say thank you.

At once, Emma felt her stomach start to boil with nerves and excitement and barely suppressible longing. Dropping her gaze, she took a tentative sip of her drink.

"Get on your knees."

The command came suddenly and firmly, and Emma felt herself flounder before she did as she was told. She sank to the carpet as gracefully as she could manage, kneeling beside Regina's legs, and waited. She jumped when Regina, still staring off into the distance like she was watching some unseen TV, reached out her spare hand and slid it through Emma's hair.

Emma sighed, desperately wanting to lean into Regina's touch, but having learned from past experience that Regina would only snatch her hand away again if she did. So instead she sat completely still, clutching her wine glass against her thighs, and tried not to melt into the feeling of Regina's fingers twisting and stroking their way through her curls.

"I can feel you trembling," Regina remarked, her eyes finally drifting down to look at her.

"I'm nervous," Emma admitted.

"Why?" Regina asked, just like she knew she would. "Don't you want to do this?"

"I do," Emma blurted out at once. "Very much."

"Then why are you shaking?"

"Because you make me nervous," Emma said. A crack ran through her voice. "You're intimidating."

"Well. I do try to be," Regina said, sliding her hand out from beneath Emma's hair and cupping it under her chin instead. Lifting her face slightly, she added, "Do you enjoy being intimidated by me?"

Emma nodded without hesitation. "Yes."

"Why?"

"I… I don't know," Emma stammered. "I like not knowing what you're going to do to me."

That, apparently, was the right answer, because Regina threw a smirk at her that was so proud and electric it made Emma's toes curl.

"I'm glad," Regina murmured, stroking her thumb over Emma's jaw. After a pause, she added, "We do seem to have a good arrangement going on here."

"We do," Emma said, her over-enthusiastic nod bearing no trace of irony.

"And you're getting very good at doing as you're told."

"Thank you," Emma murmured.

"I wonder how far we can take that tonight."

Emma wanted to make a joke about how far they'd already taken it in front of the mirror, but something stopped her. When Regina was talking to her like that, looking at her like that, sitting bolt upright with the entire world at her feet like that, it felt like something tight was wrapped around Emma's throat, stopping her from saying anything that might not suit the moment. Her usual gawky, uncomfortable sense of humour was reined in here, and she often wondered if she should be bothered by that fact. But she wasn't – it made her feel safer, somehow.

Swallowing, Emma said, "I would like to find out, too."

"Very good," Regina said, and she paused for a moment, still holding Emma's face so it was tilted up towards her, before she spoke again. "What are your safe words, Emma?"

"Red, orange and green," Emma replied without a pause.

"And where are we right now?"

"Green," Emma said firmly, her eyes latched onto Regina's face. The devotion in them was slightly startling, but Regina couldn't say she minded. If anything, it just served to make her want her even more.

"Good," Regina said flatly, releasing her chin. "Then get on the bed and stop wasting my time."

Emma didn't need to be told twice. Leaving her wine glass abandoned on the floor, she began to scramble to her feet. At once, two fingers snapped together, forcing her to stop.

"When did I tell you to stand up?" Regina asked.

Emma floundered, wobbling slightly on one knee, and replied, "You just told me to—"

"Get on the bed," Regina snapped, her expression cold. "That was my instruction. I didn't say anything about getting to your feet."

Part of Emma desperately wanted to laugh, although she couldn't say why. She dropped back down onto her knees and awkwardly pivoted, careful not to kick over her discarded glass. As she began to crawl towards the bed, she felt the indignity bubbling up inside her like hot water.

And yet, her embarrassment had an unusual way of presenting itself. She could feel her cheeks beginning to burn, but there was another warmth starting up between her legs that she hadn't expected. She bit her lip and kept moving, fully aware of Regina's eyes on her naked body, and tried to keep her head down.

The journey was barely seven feet, but as Emma reached the foot of the bed, she was certain she could feel her own wetness dripping down one thigh.

Finally clambering to her feet, she hopped up onto the bed and positioned herself in the very centre, facing the headboard. Her knees were starting to hurt, but she wasn't about to complain. Not when she could hear Regina getting to her feet, a faint exhale of laughter escaping her nose.

"You've been well trained," she noted, taking a sip of her wine. She was referring to Emma's boltlike posture as she knelt in the middle of the mattress; the hands that were neatly folded along the ridge of her thighs; the green eyes that were slightly lowered. Emma was barely moving for fear of disappointing Regina yet again, and as Regina slowly walked around the bed, she could see the muscles in her back tensing with the effort of staying still.

"Are you uncomfortable?"

Emma licked her lips. "A little."

"Don't hurt yourself," Regina said, her voice slightly more gentle. "You can lie down if you like."

She saw the hesitation in Emma's profile. "I… can?"

"Of course," Regina said, depositing her wine glass on the nearby desk. "Make yourself comfortable."

Her voice was too casual, and Emma knew it at once. Still, her knees and back were starting to ache, and she had been given an instruction. The thought of saying no made her palms feel sweaty.

She slowly lowered herself onto the bed and turned over, settling her head amongst the pillows. Placing her hands on her stomach and crossing her ankles, she lifted her head to see what Regina was doing. She had opened the top drawer of the dresser and was rummaging around inside. The fact that Emma couldn't see what she had in there was as terrifying as it was desperately arousing.

Clenching her thighs together, she watched as Regina shut the drawer and began to walk towards the bed. She was empty-handed.

"Better?" she asked, perching herself on the edge of the mattress. Again, the neutrality in her voice was off-putting. Emma nodded, drumming her fingers against her stomach.

"Yes. Thank you."

"What colour are we at?"

"Green," Emma said before Regina had even finished her question. Regina's lips curled into a smirk.

"Are you impatient to come again?" she asked, tilting her head. Her left hand reached out and settled on Emma's leg, just above her knee.

"Not so much to come again, Madam Mayor," Emma said, her voice slightly choked. "I just like it when you're touching me."

"I'm touching you now," Regina pointed out.

"Yes, you are."

"Does that mean we are done for the night?"

Emma laughed. "I don't think so, Madam Mayor. Not unless  _you_  want us to be."

The proud smile on Regina's face was worth hours of torture. "Oh, very nice, Miss Swan."

"Thank you."

"You haven't answered my question though," Regina said, and her hand edged half an inch higher. Emma couldn't tell if it had been deliberate or not. "Would you still like to come again?"

Emma was already nodding. "Yes, I would. Very much."

"You just came five minutes ago," Regina mused. "Are you being greedy?"

"I am," Emma admitted, wetting her lips. The feeling of Regina's cool fingers on her thigh was making her cunt throb all over again. "I'm sorry. I can't help it."

"Are you wet, Emma?"

"Yes."

"How do you know? I didn't ask you to touch yourself."

"I can… I can just feel it."

"Is that why you're squeezing your legs together?"

Emma blushed. "Yes, it is."

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

"I…" Emma's head was starting to swim, and with every throb of confusion, she felt Regina's fingers climb higher. "I didn't realise it was against the rules."

"Oh, it's not," Regina said, her gaze slowly, hungrily falling to where Emma's pussy was concealed by her own clenched thighs. "But I'd still like you to stop it. Spread your legs for me."

Emma did as she was told, surprised by just how badly her legs were trembling. As she shifted her position, she could feel Regina's grip on her thigh getting tighter, helping to push her legs further apart.

"Stop," she instructed when she deemed them to be a good distance from one another. "Keep them like that. Don't move one fucking inch."

A tiny, naïve part of Emma thought this meant Regina was about to fuck her again – just like that. But she was wrong, as she was increasingly finding herself to be nowadays.

Instead, Regina got up off the bed and unzipped her skirt. It fell to the floor far too quickly, and Emma almost asked her to slow down, or even stop entirely. But then Regina's fingers reached back up again, and as she began to unbutton her silky blue blouse, her movements became far more leisurely.

"Do you recognise this shirt, Miss Swan?"

Emma could barely have recognised her own mother right then, but she still managed to nod. "It looks like the one Henry let me borrow."

"It is similar," Regina purred, loosening the next button. Another inch of her black lacy bra came into view, and Emma had to force herself not to squeeze her legs back together again. "I was always rather fond of that shirt. But when Henry gave it to you, my affection for it grew somewhat. I can't imagine why."

Her gaze fell onto Emma's naked chest as she spoke.

"But since I couldn't exactly ask for it back, I just had to go and buy a new one."

She reached the final button and the shirt fell open, revealing taut stomach muscles and swollen breasts. Emma sucked in a breath, her toes curling.

"I couldn't wear it again," Regina said, slipping the shirt from her shoulders. "Not while you were still around. But I kept it with me in my bedroom, for… special occasions."

With it still dangling between two of her fingers, Regina climbed back onto the bed and straddled her thighs over Emma's waist. She reached forwards and draped the soft fabric across Emma's chest.

"There was one time," she said quietly, her eyes on the silk as it shimmered against Emma's skin. "When I lay in bed for hours, just wearing this shirt and imagining what it would be like to fuck you in it."

Emma's moan was less suppressed this time, and Regina ignored her.

"I made myself come just by touching my nipples through the fabric," she added. As she spoke, she gently laid her hands on top of the shirt, placing them over Emma's breasts. "You'd be surprised how good this fabric feels, Emma."

Emma didn't have to be surprised – she could feel it right then and there. As the silk grazed over her stiff nipples, she could feel Regina's fingers slowly working through it, tweaking and pinching at her without ever pulling hard enough to coax a moan from her. Still, Emma's body arched upwards and her eyes fluttered closed. The weight of Regina's body was just a couple of inches away from her cunt, and she automatically closed her legs, hoping the extra pressure would bring her closer to the edge.

At once, Regina pinched harder on her nipples, glaring down at her.

"Open those fucking legs of yours," she snapped. Emma did so at once, and she was slightly disappointed when the pressure on her nipples ceased.

Regina slowly continued her ministrations, stretching the silk out flat over Emma's chest and tracing her fingertips over the just-visible peaks beneath it. Emma's eyes closed again at once, and she felt a faint shiver begin to spread throughout her body.

"Do you still have my shirt, Emma?" Regina asked. Emma nodded, not opening her eyes. She could feel Regina's nails scratching over the fabric and that sharp, tickling feeling was all she wanted to focus on ever again.

"Where is it?"

"It's in my closet," Emma stammered, lifting her hips slightly but remembering to keep her legs spread this time.

"Do you ever wear it?"

There was a pause before Emma admitted, "It's not really my style. But…"

Her cheeks had gone pink, and even though her eyes were still shut, Regina could sense the glimmer of embarrassment lurking behind her closed lids.

"But?"

Emma swallowed. "But, I used to… get it out sometimes. To look at it."

That may have been one of the most endearing things Regina had ever heard. She was glad that Emma's eyes were still scrunched shut so she couldn't see her soft smile.

"I see," is what she said out loud, her voice as cool as ever. Her fingers continued gently stroking Emma's breasts as she asked, "And what did you think about while you were looking at it?"

Emma opened her eyes then. "I thought about how you'd worn it. How it had touched both of our bodies. It was a weird thought at the time."

Regina glanced down at the shirt that was currently twisting beneath her fingers. "Weirder than this?"

Emma smiled back at her. "This is many things, Madam Mayor, but it is not weird."

It was such a surprising and sweet thing for her to say that Regina found herself leaning forwards, bringing their lips together. Emma's body rose up slightly to meet her, and the shirt slipped from between them. Regina slid one hand through Emma's hair so she could gently cup the back of her head as she kissed her, her lips moving slowly and her heart thumping hard.

As they pulled apart, she muttered, "I'd like to see you wearing that shirt, and nothing else."

She saw Emma's throat contract as she swallowed. "You would?"

"Absolutely," Regina said, the tip of her nose brushing against Emma's. "But not now. I have other plans for you."

A frantic skip of excitement took hold of Emma's body, and her fingers dug into Regina's thighs.

"What plans are those, Madam Mayor?"

Regina was still leaning over her, the ends of her dark hair tickling Emma's forehead and cheeks. Her eyes flashed with a wicked smile at Emma's question.

"First of all," she said, placing both of her hands back on Emma's breasts. "You have gotten much too chatty in the past five minutes. That needs to stop."

At once, Emma's mouth snapped shut. It bizarrely didn't even matter to her that Regina's idea of 'chatty' was simply Emma answering her with more than just a 'yes' or 'no' – if Regina had told her to stop talking, then she would. No questions asked.

"Second of all," Regina said, rolling Emma's nipples between her thumbs and forefingers. "I can't help but notice that your legs are closed again."

It was quite enjoyable to watch the way Emma's face went pale with the realisation that she was right. Behind her, Regina felt her legs shifting back into position once more.

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered. "I didn't realise."

"Be quiet," was Regina's brusque response. "I will have no problem gagging you again if you're finding it so difficult to keep your mouth shut. I'm here to fuck you, not to make small talk."

Emma's whole body was thrumming with desire by the time Regina had finished belittling her, and she struggled not to moan out loud. She nodded frantically to tell Regina that she understood.

"Good," Regina said, and suddenly she was bending forwards again, her hands still toying with Emma's breasts as her mouth sought out her own. Her kisses were hungrier now, and they told Emma that they were done messing around – the rules were back in place, and the punishments for breaking them would be severe. The realisation was dizzying both in its intimidation and its eroticism, and Emma gasped as Regina kissed her, her body arching upwards to try and be just that extra breath of air closer to the woman pressing her down into the mattress.

Maybe she was distracted by that. Maybe that's why she didn't notice her own thighs squeezing together once more. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter – because Regina noticed at once.

She pulled away from the kiss, her eyes flashing, and grabbed hold of Emma's face with one hand. Emma gasped as her fingers dug into her skin in a way that was more painful that it had ever been before.

"What did I tell you about keeping your legs spread, Miss Swan?"

It was a question, but Emma suspected she shouldn't try to answer it. She tried to shake her head.

"How is it possible that you find this concept so difficult to grasp?" Regina snapped. Her grip got tighter, and she chuckled when she saw Emma's eyes beginning to water. "I think you need a bit of help in order to get the message to stick."

She pushed Emma's face away from her and, in one swift movement, was reaching across to the corner of the bed. After a moment's rummaging around, Emma felt a set of iron-like fingers grip hold of her wrist and tug it upwards.

Apparently Regina had been busy in the room before she had arrived, because there was a thick piece of rope attached to the slats underneath the mattress. Regina was furiously securing the soft leather cuff at the end around Emma's wrist, not bothering to check whether it was too tight before she pulled the rope taught, stretching Emma's arm out as far as it would go. She immediately moved onto the other arm.

Emma knew what was coming next, but the knowledge did nothing to suppress the tiny jolt of fear that twisted through her belly as Regina finished with her wrists and turned towards the foot of the bed. As she grabbed Emma's ankle and tugged it closer to the lower corner of the mattress, Emma felt a hot, desperate wetness start to seep from her pussy.

"It's funny," Regina said as she attached the leather cuff around Emma's ankle. "You've never had a problem with spreading your legs before. You'd have thought this task would have been easy for you."

Emma felt that now-familiar spark of forbidden arousal igniting in her stomach, and she arched her back, sighing automatically. She realised now that this had been Regina's plan since before she'd even walked in the room – the restraints were there because Regina had intended for her to unable to resist breaking her rules in some way. All the teasing, the goading – and now the insulting – had all been part of Regina's act. And for some reason, the clever cruelness of it all only made Emma want her more.

"Don't you have anything to say for yourself, Miss Swan?"

Regina was securing her other ankle now, and Emma realised that her legs were now spread far wider than she was ordinarily be comfortable with. She could feel the cold air of the room tickling against her exposed cunt.

"No, Madam Mayor."

"And why is that?"

"Because I didn't follow your instructions, and I deserve to be punished."

Emma couldn't see Regina's face, but she somehow knew she was smirking. "That's right – you do. Although, I have to say, you don't sound particularly upset about that fact."

She waited for a response, but she didn't get one. When she'd finished securing Emma's other ankle, she turned back around, her eyebrows raised.

"Well?"

Emma was already wriggling against the sheets, although whether that was from the discomfort of her restraints or from pure arousal, Regina couldn't tell.

"Do you enjoy getting punished, Miss Swan?" she asked. Emma's cheeks immediately flushed dark pink.

"I…" she stammered, her fingers curling into fists. "I don't know."

"I think you do," Regina said, crawling forwards. She moved slowly, dangerously, and Emma watched her like she was an approaching predator. "I think you like it when I spank you, and scold you, and tell you what a whore you are."

Emma's automatic whimper told her how right she was. Regina rolled her eyes.

"That's what I thought," she said, positioning herself directly on top of Emma so she could stare down into her slightly overwhelmed face. "You've been acting up on purpose, just to get attention."

"No," Emma blurted out, looking genuinely horrified by this idea. "I swear, I haven't—"

"Don't you  _dare_ interrupt me," Regina snapped, pressing her hand flatly over Emma's mouth. "And do not ever disagree with me again, otherwise I will leave you tied up here all night without letting you come once. I might even force you to watch as I fuck myself, as I come again and again and again, while you are left there, horny and desperate and unsatisfied. This is my game, Emma, not yours. Do you understand me?"

Emma nodded, and Regina could feel her lower lip trembling against the palm of her hand.

Regina released her and suddenly ducked her head, latching her mouth onto one of Emma's nipples and sucking hard. Emma moaned out loud, her body bucking upwards. A second later she jumped with surprise when a fist thudded against the wall from the room next door.

"Remember what I told you about soundproofing, Miss Swan," Regina said as she pulled momentarily away from Emma's skin. "I'm not prepared to answer awkward questions just because you are incapable of staying quiet."

Emma nodded, but Regina had already lowered her head once more. Her hands were cupped around Emma's breasts, slowly teasing and rolling over them, while her tongue swirled around one nipple, coaxing it into a stiff peak between her gently grasping teeth.

The crackle of sensations all over Emma's body was dizzying, and she desperately tried to stay focused, to stop herself from getting lost in it too quickly. But the smell of Regina's perfume was in her nose and she could feel the soft brush of her hair tickling against her chest. She sighed, flexing her feet back and forth against the leather restraints, and prayed to god that Regina would let her come soon, because she wasn't sure how much torture she would be able to endure tonight.

As if she'd heard her thoughts, Regina responded by chuckling darkly against Emma's skin. Emma felt the vibration ripple through her chest.

"Your heart is pounding," Regina murmured, dragging her lips from one breast to the other. Emma, not trusting herself to speak, simply groaned in response, lifting her body up to meet Regina's exploring mouth. When a hand crept between her legs and gently cupped over her dripping cunt, Emma's head shot off the pillows, her neck clicking in the process.

"Careful," Regina admonished, but she didn't stop what she was doing. As Emma's head fell back to the bed, her hand kept moving, two of her fingers slowly seeking out Emma's clit and beginning to draw long, torturous circles around it. The moan that Emma released was drawn out and almost painful sounding.

"Is that good?" Regina asked, lifting her head momentarily from Emma's breasts. Emma nodded at once, her eyes squeezed shut and her legs trembling. Regina smirked. "Answer me. Is it good?"

"Yes," Emma choked out. Her voice was hoarse. "It feels so good."

"I'm glad," Regina murmured. She sat upright and placed her hands on Emma's waist, her eyes settling on the faint blush in Emma's cheeks. "You know, I quite like you like this."

Emma swallowed. "Like what?"

"This," Regina said, scraping her nails down Emma's stomach and chuckling when Emma tried to wriggle away. "Tied down. Spread open. Completely at my mercy. Having power over you turns me on more than anything else does."

Emma felt the walls of her pussy clench as she choked out, "It does?"

"Mm," Regina mused, shuffling backwards until she was kneeling between Emma's legs. "It makes me think of all the dirty things I could do to you. You wouldn't be able to stop me."

"I wouldn't want to stop you, Madam Mayor," Emma said. Her throat had gone dry.

"Really?" Regina said, placing her palm over Emma's cunt and watching the way her eyes automatically flickered shut. "Not even if I fucked you over and over again using as many fingers as I could fit inside you?"

For a split second, Emma looked like she might pass out. She shook her head. "No, Madam Mayor."

"What about if I got one of my many toys – maybe one of my bigger ones – and fucked you with that? Then forced you to lick it clean for me. What if I pushed it down your throat and watched as you gagged on it? How about then?"

Her fingers were starting to move more quickly over Emma's clit, and Emma's breathing was getting faster with them. Regina could see her outstretched arms starting to tremble.

"I…" she started to say, but suddenly Regina thrust two fingers deep inside her, and she couldn't for the life of her work out how she had planned to finish that sentence.

"What about if I brought other people along with me," Regina purred, her voice getting lower as she began to lean towards Emma, "and told them to fuck you while I watched from that chair? What if I told them to fill you up, to take you in any way they wanted, and to not stop even when you were exhausted and crying and struggling to stay upright?"

Emma released a long, desperate moan, her hips lifting to meet Regina's furiously pumping fingers.

"I wouldn't tell you to stop, Madam Mayor," she gasped, her voice rising into a near-shout. There was another bang against the wall.

Regina smirked. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes."

"You'd like to be fucked from all sides like the whore you are?"

" _Yes_ ," Emma choked out, feeling that familiar spiral beginning to twist inside her. Her cunt was dripping down Regina's hand and the obscene sounds that were coming from between her spread legs were only pushing her closer and closer to the edge.

"I should have known," Regina scoffed, adding a third finger and continuing to drive them inside her. "A slut like you would never say no to that."

Emma whimpered, her head rolling back, and pulled desperately on her restraints. "Regina… Madam Mayor… I'm going to come. Please… I…"

There was another loud bang at the wall. Regina ignored it, choosing instead to lower her face down towards Emma's, a dark smile twisting at her lips.

"I imagine you are," she murmured, catching Emma's mouth with her own. "Look at you. You'd do anything to come, wouldn't you? It wouldn't matter who was touching you or what they were doing to you, you'd still just want to spread these legs and come all over the sheets. Wouldn't you?"

Emma was starting to go dizzy. She wanted to come, she  _needed_ to, but Regina hadn't said she could yet and some stupid, dutiful part of her wouldn't let her find her release until she had her permission.

"Please," she wailed, feeling the sweat starting to drip down her throat. The muscles in between her legs were tight from resisting and she could feel tears prickling at the back of her eyes. "Please, Madam Mayor, I need to come. I'm  _desperate_."

"I know you are," Regina chuckled, leaning further forwards. "You are a desperate, greedy whore. Show me what you do best. Come for me."

And Emma did, screaming with relief as she came across Regina's still furiously pumping fingers. Every muscle in her body rippled as the release left her, her head thrown back against the pillows and her spread legs still, against all odds, desperately trying to pull together. She could hear Regina laughing, and the cruel sound just made her come harder. She could hear the person in the next room yelling through the wall, but she didn't care. Not when Regina was still coaxing the last tremor of an orgasm out of her, and her whole body was going legless with it.

Emma felt ready to collapse when it was over, but she could tell from the flash in Regina's eyes that she wasn't done with her yet. Pulling her fingers free, Regina lifted them to Emma's mouth and forced them between her parted lips. Emma licked them clean, her tongue swirling around Regina's warm digits, before gently biting down on one knuckle. Regina smirked, pulling them free.

"I do believe that I warned you about making noise," she said.

"I'm sorry," Emma panted. "I couldn't help it."

"You can't help a lot of things," Regina sighed, peeling herself away from Emma's still breathless body. Climbing off the bed, she strode over to the dresser and opened the top drawer once more. Emma saw the flash of a smile that crossed her face before she pulled out a bottle of water.

Returning to the bed, Regina gently lowered herself down next to Emma's waist and opened the bottle.

"Pause for a moment," she said, sliding a hand beneath Emma's head to help lift it up before guiding the bottle towards her mouth. Emma drank it desperately, not caring when half of it spilled down her face and onto the bed. "Where are we?"

"Green," Emma gasped out after she had swallowed. "Very much green."

Regina's smile was small and proud. "Can I get you anything else?"

"I don't think so," Emma said. "Maybe leave the water nearby."

"I can do that," Regina said, taking a sip for herself before putting the bottle on the nightstand. "Are you ready to carry on?"

Emma was already nodding furiously. It didn't matter that she was exhausted, or that she was dripping wet, both from the water and from her intense orgasm – she was eager to continue, to see where else they could go tonight. This was her favourite type of game, seeing exactly how far she could push herself before she really had to call it quits.

"You're sure?" Regina asked, taking in Emma's still frantically rising chest.

"I'm sure, Regina," Emma snapped, visibly fidgeting against the sheets.

At once, just as Emma had hoped they would, Regina's eyebrows shot up. The coldness slid back across her face like a mask.

"Very well," Regina said, getting to her feet once more. For a moment, she just looked around her, like she was plotting her next move. But Emma wasn't that naïve – she knew Regina knew  _exactly_ what she was going to do next.

Eventually, she murmured, "I must say, I feel quite bad for the gentleman next door."

Emma swallowed. "Why?"

"Having to listen to your wailing and shrieking," Regina said, turning around and beginning to hunt for something on the floor. "Especially after I specifically ordered you not to do that."

"I'm sorry," Emma said for what felt like the 50th time. "I didn't mean to."

"Is that an excuse?" Regina snapped, walking around to the other side of the bed. She found the thing she was looking for and bent down to collect it. "Do you think that's going to fly with me? 'I didn't mean to', like you're some petulant toddler who can't control her tantrums?"

Emma's cheeks burned. "No, Madam Mayor. I'm sorry."

"You should be sorry," Regina said, walking back towards the bed. "I'm going to have to deal with these repercussions, not you. Which means that we need to find some way of keeping you quiet."

She held out her hand and, like a magician unveiling his latest trick, let Emma's panties uncurl from one finger.

"I'm going to put these in your mouth," Regina said, resting one knee on the bed and leaning over Emma's face. "And you're going to take them. You will not make a sound from now on. I do not want to hear a bitchy little word coming out of this mouth. Do you understand me?"

Emma blinked furiously, glancing down at the panties in Regina's hand. "Y…yes."

"Good," Regina said, scrunching them back into a ball and bringing it up to Emma's lips.

A split second later, Emma gasped out, "Wait!"

Her pleas wouldn't normally have affected Regina, but something in her tone made her stop. She paused, the panties hovering less than an inch away from Emma's mouth.

"Is that a 'red'?" she asked, lowering her hand. There was a look in Emma's eye that she couldn't read.

"No," Emma stammered, taking a breath. Her gaze flickered back down to the underwear in Regina's hand, and eventually she forced out, "Can I… can I have yours instead?"

Those words did something to Regina's insides that she'd never felt before. Stifling a groan, she threw Emma's panties to the floor.

"I can probably allow that," she said, hooking her thumbs through her own panties and shimmying them down her hips. Emma's eyes followed their movement, wide and mesmerised. When Regina straightened up again, her black thong in her hand, Emma looked like she might cry.

Leaning back across the bed, Regina brought the damp fabric up to Emma's lips.

"Open," she said. Her voice was soft – tender, almost – and Emma did as she was told. She moaned as soon as the panties touched her tongue, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Good girl," Regina said, pushing them all the way inside. Then she straightened up, reaching behind her to unhook her bra, and tossed it onto the ground with all the rest of their clothes. "Show me your signal."

Emma's hands opened and closed three times, and Regina nodded. "Excellent."

In the same breath, she was turning away from the bed, walking back towards the dresser where she was apparently hiding all of her tricks and treasures that evening. Emma watched the sway of her hips as she moved, the confident jut of her chin, and felt a deep, burning desire clench like a fist inside her.

When Regina pulled the first object out of the drawer, that feeling squeezed a little tighter.

"Do you remember this?" Regina asked, lifting the Hitachi magic wand up so that Emma could see it. Emma didn't respond, but her wide eyes said everything. Regina chuckled, "I thought you might. I have very fond memories of how much you screamed last time I used this on you – I will greatly enjoy seeing if I can get you to do that even when you are choking on my panties."

She heard a soft moan come from the bed, but she ignored it. She was too busy fishing around for her next toy.

"If I remember correctly, you told me that you've used a bullet and a rabbit on yourself before," she continued, weighing up the next object in her hand before she fully lifted it out of the drawer. "Does that mean that you've never used one of these before?"

She immediately wished that she had a camera with her so she could record the look of shock of Emma's face. The dildo in her hand was certainly one of her weightier ones – far larger, or so she imagined, than Hook's actual equipment must have been – and Emma was already eyeing it up like it was something that was going to attack her. Her hands stayed still, however, and the lack of a 'red' signal was all the incentive Regina needed to keep going.

"I'll take that as a no," Regina said, nudging the drawer closed and approaching the bed. She could see Emma automatically trying to snap her legs shut. "Needless to say, I am  _very_ excited to watch you take this all into your lovely little cunt."

A soft whimper came from behind Emma's makeshift gag, and Regina smirked. Pausing only to plug the wand into the wall, she climbed back onto the bed and settled herself between Emma's legs.

But before she got to work with the toys, she surprised Emma by bending forwards and pressing a gentle kiss just below her navel. This turned into a trail of kisses, ones that were soft and genuine and made Emma's toes curl against the florid sheets, and soon started to head downwards to the frantically throbbing core between Emma's thighs.

Emma gasped as she felt Regina's tongue flicking over her clit, and automatically lifted her hips to try and meet her touch. Two hands pushed them back down again, pinning her against the mattress with a force that entirely contradicted the gentle movement of her tongue. Emma groaned, tasting Regina's own arousal all through her mouth, and willed her to hurry up and slow down all at once.

A second later, she felt something being pushed inside her. She gasped, trying to sit upright, and was immediately tugged backwards by her restraints. The dildo felt too big to possibly fit inside her, and when Regina eased it in another inch, Emma heard herself whimper. It didn't hurt as such, but there was a tightness in her muscles that would have made her inhale sharply through her teeth if her mouth hadn't already been full.

Two dark eyes flicked up to look at her, desire muddied by concern, and Regina pulled the toy out once more.

"I think this needs a little help," she said softly, placing it upright on Emma's stomach so that she could see it clearly. If she'd been able to think properly, she would have guessed what was coming next – but her brain was hot and muddled, and when Regina bent over the toy and wrapped her lips around it, Emma felt certain that she was about to pass out.

Watching Regina take the entire cock deep into her mouth was undoubtedly the sexiest thing she had ever seen before in her life, and Emma heard herself groan, her fingers curling around the ropes that were holding her against the bed. Regina didn't look up at her, but that was because she didn't have to – she knew she had Emma's undivided attention, and she knew this was having the exact effect she'd hoped for. Smirking to herself, she pulled away from the dildo and let a trail of her saliva drip down onto it. Below her fingers, she felt Emma's entire body tremble.

She returned to her position between Emma's legs and began to slide the toy back inside her. It was still a tight fit, but Emma had relaxed now, and it entered her with slightly more ease. Emma groaned, her back arching, when it reached the halfway point, and Regina immediately pulled it back out again, slowly and deliberately dragging the ridges against her walls as she did so. Emma's eyes fluttered shut, her chest rising up and her fingers gripping even harder onto the ropes like they could possible support her. Regina grinned, pressing her face back against Emma's cunt before pushing the toy back inside her.

It barely took 10 seconds before Emma was wriggling beneath her, her stomach taut and her thighs trying desperately to clamp around Regina's head. Regina ignored her muffled groans, slowly pushing the dildo inside her, deeper and deeper with each thrust until finally the hilt of her hand was pressed up against Emma's wet, sticky skin. Regina held it there, dragging her tongue as torturously slowly over Emma's clit as she could, waiting for her to finally cave and scream with frustration through the gag. It took longer than she had expected it to, but when the noise finally came, it was ragged and desperate. It was the best sound Regina had ever heard.

She grabbed the wand with her spare hand and nestled it firmly against Emma's pussy, not waiting for Emma to register the change in sensation before she switched it on. A low buzzing sound filled the room, but it wasn't anywhere loud enough to drown out the high-pitched whimpers that immediately began to escape from Emma's covered mouth.

Regina sat up on her knees and held the wand in place, watching with some curiosity as Emma ground against it, her hips bucking up to get away from it and closer to it all at the same time. With her other hand, Regina began to move the dildo faster, plunging it deep inside her and watching as it resurfaced with a glimmer of her arousal coating it. Regina bit her lip, suddenly desperate to take it back inside her mouth and lick it clean, but forced herself to keep going. She could see Emma's body starting to shake, and there was nothing in the world that could have stopped her now.

Emma came with a moan that lifted her upper body off the bed entirely. Regina kept the wand pressed against her for as long as she could, trying to coax every last second of pleasure out of her, and watched as a second orgasm charged through her tensed muscles. Before that wave had fully subsided, she could see Emma trying to wriggle away, one of her hands opening and closing and then other clicking frantically to try and get her attention.

Switching the wand off, Regina reached across Emma's body and pulled the panties out of her mouth. She was breathing heavily, a single bead of sweat rolling down her forehead, and her hair was slightly darker than normal at the roots.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked, reaching across to release Emma's left wrist before moving across to the right. Emma's arms flopped back down to the mattress, and she nodded.

"I'm good," she said, half smiling. "I don't want to stop completely – I just can't come again. I think I might die."

Regina laughed, pivoting on her knees so she could release Emma's ankles. "Well. I certainly don't want that."

She heard Emma's deep inhale from behind her before she said, "Let me just… catch my breath. And then I'll be ready to start again."

Regina turned to look at her. "You  _just_  said you couldn't come again."

"And I don't plan to," Emma said, trying to lift her head. "But your turn is definitely overdue."

Regina waved a hand in the air. "Don't worry about me."

"Don't be stupid, Regina," Emma said, forcing herself onto her elbows. "This started off as a thing for me, but it's not just about that anymore. I want to get you off  _way_ more than you want to get me off."

Electricity shot through her when Regina raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "I strongly disagree with that statement."

"Well, I'm telling the truth."

"You might  _think_ you are," Regina said, crawling towards her. Emma watched her approach, her eyes getting progressively wider. "But that's only because you have no idea how beautiful you are to watch."

Regina lowered her body on top of Emma's and nuzzled her nose against her ear, relishing her sharp intake of breath.

"You have no idea how delicious you taste," she whispered, nibbling on Emma's earlobe. "Or how good you feel under my hands. You don't understand how lovely you look when you are begging me to stop with tears running down your face."

Emma groaned, lifting her hands to hold onto Regina's waist. She could never get enough of the contrasting feeling of her taut muscles underneath her deliciously soft skin. "You are going to kill me one day."

"Maybe," Regina chuckled into her ear. "But not today."

The smell of her perfume was starting to make Emma feel drunk, and the warm weight of her body pressing down against her was reigniting that fire deep inside her body that should have been extinguished quite some time ago.

Emma held on tighter to Regina's waist, braced her body against the mattress, and pushed her to one side. With a squeak of surprise, Regina found herself on her back, Emma smirking from above her.

Before Regina could say anything, Emma ducked her head, kissing her with a ferocity that made Regina's bones go weak. She hummed with pleasure, sliding her hands around Emma's neck, and pulled her closer, letting her body go loose with the feeling of not having to be in control for once.

When Emma pulled away, her lips were quivering with an uncertain smile. "Is this okay?"

Regina reached up to push some of the damp hair away from Emma's face. "Very much more than okay."

"We can go back to our roles whenever you want," Emma said, her eyes fixed on Regina's slightly parted lips. "I just wanted to do that."

But Regina surprised herself with how much she was enjoying just laying there, a beautiful woman on top of her, kissing her simply because she wanted to, not because she'd been ordered to. It was reassuring and far more arousing than she'd expected it to be. Her pussy had been throbbing since before Emma had walked in the door, but now it was clenching desperately, and the temptation to grind it against Emma's thigh was growing with every second.

Wetting her lips, Regina heard herself say, "Forget about that."

Emma frowned. "About what?"

"Our roles," Regina said, and she sounded slightly breathless. "Just… do what you want to me."

Emma blinked, pulling her head back. "Really?"

"Yes," Regina said. "Unless you don't want to, of course."

For a split second, she thought that's exactly what Emma was going to say. But then she felt a pair of lips pressing fiercely against her own once more, a hand resting gently on the side of her face and stroking the curve of her cheekbone. Regina sighed, tightening her hold on the back of Emma's neck, and pulled her closer. She could feel a pounding between their bodies, and she couldn't for the life of her tell if it was coming from her heart or Emma's.

Their legs were tangled together, and Emma's thigh was edging ever closer to Regina's pussy. She groaned, trying to wriggle her hips closer, and Emma immediately pulled back slightly, a grin on her lips. "It's irritating being teased, isn't it?"

Regina growled up at her. "Yes, it is."

"Is now a bad time to tell you that I intend on making this last as long as possible?"

"Stop talking," Regina said, because she was incapable of not being in charge for too long. "Kiss me."

Emma gladly did as she was told, letting her left hand come up to rest against Regina's breast as she did so. Regina arched her back, pressing her body into Emma's touch, and it dawned on Emma all of a sudden just how much self control it must take to be Regina in this relationship. To come up with plan after wicked, twisted plan and bring Emma to tears countless times in one evening, but to never expect it in return. To work herself to exhaustion making sure Emma came half a dozen times, and then quietly checking Emma was okay after it all.

The realisation made something swell up inside Emma's chest, and she kissed Regina all the harder for it, squeezing firmly on her breast in order to coax a moan out of her. When she gently teased her nipple between her fingers, the soft mewing sound that escaped from Regina's lips made Emma want to cry.

Placing her knees either side of Regina's body, Emma sat up and gathered her damp hair into a loose ponytail. Regina wetted her lips.

"Should I take it that you mean business?"

Emma smirked down at her. "If you like."

"How about—"

"Shut up," Emma said, making her blink. "Just lie there and enjoy this. Turn that brain off for a second."

A part of Regina automatically bristled in response. But another, much larger part of her could feel Emma's hands tiptoeing up her stomach, reaching up to cup her breasts and gently tease them beneath her palms. She felt her eyes flutter shut, her sharply worded response floating away into the night.

Emma grinned as she ducked her head to capture one of Regina's nipples in her mouth. Regina automatically sighed, lifting her body slightly, and placed her hands on Emma's thighs. Emma ground her hips forwards against Regina's abdomen and dragged her tongue over Regina's skin, shivering when she started to moan.

It pained her to peel herself away from Regina's tightening grip on her thighs, but she forced herself to do it, crawling backwards down Regina's body until she was settled between her legs. Regina lifted her head automatically, ready to watch her work, but Emma didn't appear to be in any kind of rush. Instead, she lifted one of Regina's legs and began peppering kisses along the inside of it, from her bent knee all the way up to the very top of her inner thigh. Regina's breath caught when she reached that spot, but Emma didn't move across. Instead, she gently pushed Regina's leg back down to the bed and started again on the other one.

Regina groaned, her head falling back, and arched her back in frustration. God, she adored teasing Emma to within an inch of her sanity – but being on the receiving end of it wasn't nearly as satisfying.

Emma sensed her tension and grinned, resting her temple against Regina's bent leg. Slowly, she reached out one hand and stroked the flat of her palm down Regina's cunt. She groaned when she felt the hot wetness against her skin.

"Regina," she murmured, pressing a fierce kiss against her inner thigh. "How do you manage to stay so in control?"

Ahead of her, Regina's hands were fisting in the sheets, and her open eyes were fixed on the ceiling. She forced out through gritted teeth, "When we are playing, it's a lot easier."

Emma continued to leisurely stroke her fingers down the full length of Regina's pussy, fighting the urge to plunge them inside. "But now?"

Regina whimpered, and it was a sound so unfamiliar coming from her lips that Emma actually looked up in surprise.

"Now, it's not so easy," Regina admitted, her breathing turning shallow. The touch of Emma's fingers against her wet skin was maddeningly light and she was already fighting the urge to thrash her legs with impatience.

"Do you want me to stop?" Emma asked, and she was only half teasing.

"No."

"Do you want me to fuck you?"

Regina groaned, lifting her lips. "Yes. Very much so."

Emma responded by sliding a single finger inside her. Regina let out a faint wail – this was somehow worse. One finger wasn't anywhere near enough; she wanted three, four, a whole fist, whatever Emma wanted to force inside her. She'd been waiting all week for this and she wasn't going to be satisfied until she was dripping all over the sheets, her muscles puffy and sore from the exertion of being fucked beyond her own sanity.

Emma knew that, of course. She was just taking her sweet time in getting there.

She pushed that finger in as far as it would go, then drew it back out with an agonising slowness. Regina gritted her teeth, lifting her head to snap at her, only to find Emma lovingly licking the taste of her off her own finger. Propping herself up on her elbows, Regina sighed, wanting desperately to kiss Emma as hard as she could but not wanting to pull her away from between her legs. Emma was already moving though, crawling back up her body, and she grabbed hold of Regina's face with a passion that made Regina's eyes water. She gasped into her mouth as Emma's tongue curled against hers, her warm hands pulling their faces closer together. Regina dragged her nails over Emma's waist, adoring the gasp of pleasure that escaped her from the slight pain, and pulled her body more firmly against her own.

Emma had settled down half on top of Regina, half alongside her, with her right leg hooked between Regina's and her hands on the sides of her face. Regina rolled her hips forward, her cunt finally making contact with Emma's tensed thigh, and moaned with relief as the friction ground against her throbbing clit.

Emma grinned against her lips. "You're cheating."

"I don't play fair," Regina said, grinding harder. Her voice was breathless. "I thought you knew that."

"True," Emma conceded, reaching down between them. When she pulled her thigh away, she genuinely thought Regina might cry. But when she replaced it with her probing hand, those tears were cut off in their tracks.

Emma sought out Regina's clit and began to slowly circle around it, putting just enough pressure on it to make Regina's breath catch in her throat. Her eyes closed automatically, and Emma was free to prop herself up on one elbow so she could stare down at her. Her face was so open and uncaring as she tilted her head back, sighing and smiling slightly at the feeling of Emma's fingers exploring her body. Emma smiled back even though she couldn't see her, and pressed her fingers down harder. When Regina's lips parted, she bent her head down to meet them for a fierce kiss.

When she finally plunged two fingers inside her, Regina let out a moan that was so desperately grateful, another knock came at the wall behind their heads. Emma giggled, but she didn't stop. She pushed those fingers deeper, deliberately dragging them over the ridges of Regina's inner walls, and relished the way Regina's face was contorting with a mixture of pleasure and impatience and gratitude. Emma placed her thumb on Regina's clit and continued pumping her fingers inside her, and finally Regina's eyes snapped back open again, her lips parted with a silent gasp and her gaze fixed on Emma's face above her.

Emma worked her fingers harder, keeping her thumb pressed down on Regina's clit the whole time, and watched with a rush of love as Regina began to whimper and writhe around beneath her. One of her hands shot up and grabbed onto the back of Emma's neck – not to pull her down for a kiss, but just to hold her. Emma grinned, ignoring the burn in her arm as she continued to fuck Regina as hard as she could. She pushed a third finger in, and Regina released a wail of pleasure.

She came hard, with her nails digging into the back of Emma's neck and her cunt grinding unashamedly against Emma's fingers. Emma kept pumping her fingers inside her, coaxing every last whisper of the orgasm out of her, and never taking her eyes off Regina's face as she did so. Regina was truly beautiful when she came – it was one of the only times when she looked truly unguarded, and Emma couldn't get enough of watching her. When Regina's body began to tremble and she finally grabbed hold of Emma's wrist, telling her to stop, she was disappointed.

And so she pulled her fingers free, swooping down to catch Regina's mouth for one more kiss, before she straddled her body once more, pressing kiss after kiss against her neck, her chest, her stomach. She paused to bite and suck at the jut of Regina's ribcage, soaking up the surprised moan from below her and the feeling of Regina's fingers tangling in her hair, before she moved lower, kissing and nipping her way back down to Regina's cunt.

Before Regina could tell her not to or insist that one orgasm was more than enough, Emma buried her face between her legs, not bothering with any kind of preamble this time. She dragged the flat of her tongue up the full length of Regina's pussy, savouring the taste of her, and moaned when Regina's grip on her hair tightened.

Pushing her still-wet fingers back inside her, Emma began to fuck her all over again, keeping her mouth latched onto Regina's clit like she would die without it. Regina was already moaning, her hips lifting to meet Emma's mouth, and when Emma glanced up, she realised with a jolt that this was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen in her life. Regina's eyes were closed, her head was thrown back against the pillows, and there was a dark red mark on her stomach from where Emma had sucked the blood to the surface.

With three fingers pumping furiously beneath her chin and her tongue steadily swirling around Regina's clit, it wasn't long before Regina was climbing that familiar ladder again – but it was taking longer than she wanted it to, and Emma could sense the frustration in her whimpering. Regina's fingers tightened in her hair, grasping desperately now, and Emma sucked harder on her clit to try and drag the next orgasm from her body. It didn't work, and Emma faltered.

Regina was wriggling furiously against the sheets, her legs spread about as far as they could go, and all of a sudden Emma was more determined than ever to make her come so hard she couldn't speak for a full minute afterwards. Latching her lips around Regina's clit, she slowly, gently eased a fourth finger inside her. She was surprised by how easily it went inside – but she was more surprised by the grateful moan that poured from Regina's lips.

Emma began to fuck her as fiercely as she possibly could, burying her fingers deep into her dripping, desperate pussy. She could feel Regina's muscles tightening around them and she knew this was it, so she kept going, never letting her momentum falter or allowing her gaze to drop away from Regina's face. Her arm was aching as it pumped back and forth, but she didn't stop. There was an explosive orgasm building in Regina and there was no one in the world who deserved it more.

There was a split second pause before Regina came where everything went remarkably silent. Then, she was screaming. Emma jerked back in shock as the noise came pouring from Regina's lips, but her fingers never stopped working. Regina's wetness flooded across them as they drove into her, spilling down onto Emma's curved palm and dripping onto the sheets.

Someone was hammering furiously on the wall, and it took Regina far longer than either one of them would have expected to stop crying out. When she did, she collapsed back against the bed, finally releasing Emma's hair. Her breathing was furious and unsteady, and she threw one arm across her face as she tried to get control of it.

Forcing herself onto her wobbly knees, Emma asked, "Did I  _kill_  you?"

Regina laughed, reaching out for a nearby cushion and whipping it at Emma's head. She missed by a metre, but the action was so stupid and unlike her that Emma found herself giggling hysterically, throwing herself down on the bed next to her. Regina slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, and pressed a kiss against her lips.

"Sorry," she said eventually, still trying to catch her breath. "That was just… I haven't come that hard in a  _long_ time."

Emma didn't respond, and Regina looked up to find her grinning smugly back at her.

"Stop that," Regina said, but she kissed her again all the same.

"I don't think I will," Emma said, nuzzling against her side. "Besides, I've  _definitely_ never come as hard with anyone as I have with you. You have every right to look smug too."

She felt Regina shrug beneath her cheek. "I suppose you have a point."

They fell quiet for a moment. Emma placed her hand on Regina's stomach, enjoying being able to feel it rising and falling more gradually as her breathing went back to normal. It was the first time they'd ever done this after sex, and Emma was vaguely aware that it should feel weird.

It didn't. It felt kind of perfect.

Or it did, until a set of heavy footsteps began to approach their door. They both jumped when someone pounded their fist against it.

"I've had three complaints about the noise from this room," Granny hollered from the other side of the door. Emma snorted out loud, pressing her face into Regina's shoulder. "If I have to come back and talk to you again, you will have to leave. It's the middle of the night, you know."

Neither woman replied, and eventually she stomped off again.

"Wow," Emma said. "You were right. Soundproofing really isn't great here."

Regina chuckled. "I'm always right, Emma. You should know that by now."

"However," Emma continued like she hadn't said anything. "If I remember rightly, you told me at the start of the night that if Granny came up to complain about me making noise, I would get punished for it."

"I did," Regina said. "So?"

Emma pulled away so she could look into Regina's dark eyes as she said, "It was  _you_ she came up about, Regina. Does that mean it's my turn to punish you now?"

For a second, Regina didn't react. Then she was laughing out loud, reaching out to grab Emma's waist and tickle her until she squawked.

"I don't think so," she murmured against her ear, knowing that she should stop before Granny came back about all the giggling. But Emma laughing was one of her new favourite sounds, and so she didn't – she kept going, pinning her down into the mattress with her torturing fingers, and laughing with her as she tried to wriggle away.

No one banged on the wall that time, and she was glad. It was an oddly perfect moment, and she didn't want it to be interrupted for anything.

* * *

_**A/N:**  I'm  **starsthatburn**  on tumblr too, please come and say hi!_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:** _ _Just a heads up that while this chapter is still very much NSFW, it's a bit less BDSM-heavy than the others because I had a hankering to write a cute Swan Queen dinner scene._ _Normal kinky service will resume next chapter! xx_

* * *

**Chapter four**

If there was one thing Regina hated, it was feeling unsure of herself. She had always enjoyed breezing through life with her head held high, the swagger in her step telling herself and – more importantly – everyone else in the world that she 100 percent knew what she was doing. If she couldn't summon that feeling, she simply acted like she could.

The majority of her time as the Evil Queen had been one big performance, where she smirked and bluffed her way through her reign until one day she didn't have to fake the confidence anymore.

It wasn't so easy to force those feelings when she was standing on Emma Swan's porch, her jeans cutting into her hips and a bottle of wine awkwardly clasped in her hand.

She felt a renewed sense of admiration for the fact that Emma had ever made it to her own house on their very first night together. This was the fourth time they'd met up now and, even though Regina was feeling more and more comfortable around Emma – in fact, more than she'd felt around anyone for a long time – a cluster of nerves crackled away in her stomach. She very nearly didn't knock on the door.

But the thought of Emma's overjoyed expression when she opened it to find her waiting there was enough to make her lift one fist. She knocked three times, then took a step back, pursing her lips against the dry feeling in her mouth.

She was waiting longer than she expected before she heard footsteps approaching the door. When it opened, Emma's hair was a wild halo of freshly washed curls. Her mouth split into a delighted smile.

"Hey," she breathed before her eyes fell to take in Regina's outfit. "Wow – you look amazing."

Regina glanced down at herself. She was wearing her tightest black jeans and a black silk cami with lace around the edges. Her dark red heels were probably a bit much considering she was, for all intents and purposes, just going for dinner at a friend's house, but forcing herself not to wear one of her usual tailored dresses had already been a big step for her. She needed something to help her feel in control.

"Thank you," she said. She heard the flatness in her own voice. "I tried to dress down a bit, but I'm not sure how successful I was."

Emma's grin descended into a frown. "You look beautiful. Apart from the fact that you obviously wish you were somewhere else right now."

Regina looked up, exhaling heavily. "Sorry. That's definitely not true – I just feel nervous about being here, and I'm not used to feeling like that."

Emma was already smiling at her again. "That's really okay. The whole point of you coming here is to make you feel comfortable with my house. I won't force you to do anything you aren't ready for yet."

Regina felt a shaky smile taking shape on her lips as she asked, "Isn't it usually me reassuring you of that?"

"True," Emma said. "I guess the tables have turned. Hey, does this mean I get to order you around now?"

Her words had the desired effect: Regina snorted, shaking her head.

"That is highly unlikely to ever happen."

"But not impossible," Emma noted, quirking one eyebrow in what she hoped was a charming way. "That's good to know."

Regina laughed, her stomach feeling marginally less turbulent, and said, "You are ridiculous. But thank you."

"Any time," Emma said, taking a step back from the doorway. "Anyway, come in. If you still want to."

Regina edged past her, straightening her shoulders as she went. As she waited for Emma to close the door behind her, she allowed herself a quick look around the hall: she'd only been in this house a handful of times, and although she still couldn't say she understood why Emma had chosen it, it at least looked slightly more like a home than it had done on previous occasions. It was much warmer, for one thing, and Emma had obtained a dozen vast black and white photographs – all of them of either Boston or New York – and hung them throughout the entrance. There was still a lack of furniture, she noticed, but when she glanced through into the living room, she saw that at some point Emma had painted the walls a fresh, pale blue. The sofa was covered in a variety of throws and cushions and, to Regina's immense surprise, was surrounded on all sides by piles of books.

Emma suddenly appeared at her shoulder and followed her gaze. "Oh. I haven't had a chance to clean that room today."

Regina was still blinking at them. "That is a lot of books, Emma."

"Yeah," Emma shrugged. "I have a bad habit of acquiring them. Or checking them out of the library and then maybe forgetting to return them."

"You've been inside the library?" Regina asked, and she was only half joking. Emma nudged her arm.

"I have my own card and everything," she said. "Don't look so shocked – they do teach us to read in foster care."

Regina finally dragged her gaze away from the most unexpected thing she'd seen all week and turned to look at her. Emma was watching her with a small smile.

"Well," Regina said, uncertain of exactly where she was going with that sentence until she looked down and remembered the bottle that was still clutched in her hand. "I brought you this."

Emma's delicate smile broke into a grin. "Then you're already the best house guest I've ever had."

"Are my only competitors Henry and Hook?"

"Yes. And my mom," Emma said, taking the wine from her. "She doesn't tend to bring bottles of anything though, unless it's breast milk."

"Well, I'm afraid I don't have any of that," Regina said, and Emma rolled her eyes in mock dismay.

"I guess the wine will have to do, then," she said. "Come on, we'd better go check I haven't burned dinner."

Finally, Regina registered the smell that was flooding through the house. She was more than a little startled when she realised it actually smelled good.

"You made roast chicken after all?" she asked as she followed Emma across the hall.

"I had to," Emma said, pushing the kitchen door open. "I promised you a feast, didn't I?"

"It's a risky first dish, though."

"Not for an esteemed chef like me," Emma said, holding the door open so Regina could follow her into the kitchen. It was warm and smelled of chicken and herbs inside, and Regina blinked.

"It smells delicious," she said, unable to hide her shock. Emma raised her eyebrows.

"Your opinion of me must be so low," she said, taking the bottle of wine over to the counter. As she reached up to take two glasses down from the top shelf, Regina caught a glimpse of her taut stomach muscles. She swallowed.

"I'm sorry. I've just never thought of you as a cook," she admitted. Emma didn't look particularly offended by this.

"I've been taking care of myself since I was 13," she said, wrestling the cork free of the bottle. "If I hadn't learned how to cook, I wouldn't have gotten very far."

"That's true," Regina said, ignoring the sharp pang of guilt she felt any time she thought about Emma's lonely childhood. "What's your favourite food?"

Emma looked round at her, her eyebrows raised. "Why?"

"Because I want to know," Regina said, leaning her hip against the counter. "I don't actually know that much about you."

The corners of Emma's mouth flickered for a second. "I like most food. Except squid. But I'm going to have to be really boring and say my favourite food is probably pizza."

"I can't say I'm that surprised by that," Regina said, and Emma smiled back at her.

"I wouldn't be either," she said, turning back to the wine and pouring out two glasses. "Is yours lasagna?"

Regina blinked. "How did you know?"

Emma was smiling to herself, but she didn't turn around. "Lucky guess."

She lifted up both glasses and approached Regina, holding one out. There was a confident glint in her eye that she didn't have when they were in Regina's house – apparently, the home field advantage worked for both of them.

Regina couldn't decide whether she was happy about that or not.

Taking the proffered glass and clinking it against Emma's, Regina said, "For some reason, I was expecting you to be more nervous about this."

"You should have seen me this morning," Emma said, taking a sip and acting like she hadn't been in the middle of cleaning up a huge patch of spilled water, courtesy of her stupid, trembling hands, when Regina had knocked on her door. "You, however, are looking  _way_  more nervous than I was expecting you to."

Regina felt her cheeks grow hot, and she tried to hide the fact by taking a sip of wine. "I can't honestly say I feel comfortable with this yet."

"That's okay," Emma said, and her voice was so calm and gentle that Regina actually believed her. "This is only, like, the third time you've been here, and I'm pretty sure you've never been in another room before. You just need to get used to it."

"And how do you propose I do that?"

"Take a little tour," Emma said, reaching out to check the timer. "We have 15 minutes until the food is ready. Why don't you go and have a look around?"

Regina blinked. "You're going to let me loose in your house?"

"Sure," Emma said. "After all, you know all of my dirty little secrets already."

Regina smirked automatically, self-assurance bubbling up inside her like warm soup. "That is true."

"Or I can come with you," Emma said, her eyes dropping down and fixing on Regina's pursed lips. Her lipstick was the exact same shade as her shoes, and as much as she admired the commitment, she desperately wanted to kiss the colour clean off of her. "Whatever you prefer."

Regina took another sip of her wine. "Actually, if you don't mind, I'd quite like to go by myself."

"Sure," Emma said, her easy smile making Regina's heart skip. "Knock yourself out."

"Is there anywhere you'd prefer me not to go?"

"No, you're good," Emma said. "Just don't judge me too hard on all the rooms that either don't have furniture yet or are completely full of crap."

Regina laughed. "I must say, this was an odd choice of house for someone with your limited interior design skills."

"There's the Regina I know and love," Emma said. She nodded towards the door. "Go on, Madam Mayor. Go poke around."

Regina could feel the tension in her stomach starting to leave her, and without thinking, she leaned forward so she could press a kiss against Emma's warm cheek. When she pulled away, Emma's eyes had gone soft.

"Will you call me when you want me back again?" Regina asked.

"Of course I will," Emma said. Her voice was gentle, and Regina suddenly longed to reach out and kiss her again.

But instead, she picked up her wine glass and turned back towards the door. She thought she heard Emma sigh as she left.

* * *

Regina was already on her way back down the stairs when Emma called from the kitchen. She couldn't say she felt 100 percent on familiar ground yet, but she certainly felt looser, and she wasn't walking with such a sharp pain in her abdomen anymore. There was even a glimmer of a devious smile on her lips as she descended the stairs.

She had taken each room slowly, one by one, not opening any closets or cabinets but still doing an extensive sweep of each space. Emma had been right: several of the rooms were almost entirely bare, containing a few empty boxes or maybe a single suitcase. Others had somehow found themselves bearing the brunt of most of Emma's possessions, and were covered from wall to wall in old clothes, multiple chairs, stacks of photo albums and, in every room Regina visited, books. There were hundreds of them, but Emma obviously hadn't find time to buy any shelves just yet, and so they had made their way into the corners of every single room that had space for them.

At first Regina had been genuinely disturbed by Emma's book hoarding habits, but by the time she reached her bedroom, the collection had become endearing. Emma's bedroom was large and warm, painted pale jade and papered on one wall with a pattern of green and silver leaves. Regina had approached the bed nervously, not wanting to cross any boundaries in spite of what Emma had told her, and had felt a strange warmness fill her when she realised that the white sheets were freshly washed and ironed. Out of curiosity, she lifted one of the pillows to see if Emma had left pyjamas under there. She caught sight of a faded black t-shirt and soft, checked bottoms, and she replaced the pillow with a smile on her face.

On the nightstand was yet another pile of books, and Regina tilted her head to look at it: it was made up of a bizarre mash of genres, with a well-thumbed copy of  _Jane Eyre_  sitting at the bottom and an open copy of  _Twilight_  balancing on the top. Regina had laughed, making a mental note to endlessly tease Emma for that later, and retreated back into the hallway.

Emma looked up expectantly when Regina returned to the kitchen. "Well?"

Regina placed her empty wine glass on the counter. "We need to take you furniture shopping."

That was not what Emma had been expecting. Her eyebrows shot up. "We?"

"Well, I would say you could go alone, but clearly that hasn't worked very well up until now."

Emma snorted, switching off the flame underneath a pan of vegetables. "I've been busy."

"You haven't done a full day at the sheriff station in about six months," Regina said, soaking up the way that Emma laughed in response. "I know there aren't exactly many IKEAs around here, but come on. Why do you need so many spare rooms if they're all going to be empty?"

"They're not empty," Emma pointed out.

"Ah, yes," Regina said, rolling her eyes. "I forgot. They are working very well as book storage rooms."

To her surprise, Emma actually blushed. "I like to read."

"I can see that," Regina said, watching her drain the vegetables and tip them into a serving bowl. "Can I help with anything?"

"You can get us both some more wine," Emma said, pausing as she looked around the kitchen. The table was already set, and the food in the oven was just about ready. A flicker of nerves coiled through her intestines. "I think everything else is ready."

Regina did as she was told, refilling both of their glasses and setting them down on the table. They'd both broken her rule of not drinking too much when they were together, but the atmosphere was different tonight. They could both feel it. In fact, Regina wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have sex at all – this felt altogether far more innocent than normal, and if they just spent the evening talking and getting more comfortable with each other and with this new environment, she would be okay with that.

Emma told her to sit down, and she did so, watching as the food was gradually brought to the table. Regina was genuinely taken aback by how delicious the chicken and golden roasted potatoes looked. She was even more surprised when she looked up from it all to find Emma hovering beside her own chair, watching her worriedly.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

"It looks… perfect," Regina said, wary of admitting this too enthusiastically before she had actually tasted it. Besides, there was their bet to keep in mind: while Regina had absolutely no problem with owing Emma five orgasms, her pride might not take the hit too kindly. "Aren't you going to sit down?"

Emma blinked, like she hadn't considered this, before pulling her chair out. After a split second she realised that she was supposed to carve the chicken, and she awkwardly stood back up again.

Regina laughed. "Emma. Relax."

"It was me saying that to you 20 minutes ago," Emma pointed out, brandishing her knife a little too wildly. Regina inched backwards in her chair.

"Do you need any help with that?"

"I've got it," Emma muttered, and Regina nearly died when she realised that her tongue was poking out from between her teeth as she tried to concentrate on cutting neat portions.

Desperately trying to keep her voice level, Regina asked, "Do you have any idea how much you look like Henry right now?"

"Do you often let him use carving knives?" Emma asked, not looking up. There was a tiny crease between her eyebrows that Regina had an overwhelming urge to kiss away.

"I try not to," Regina said, leaning back as Emma placed the carefully cut chicken on her plate. "But if I did, he would be concentrating just as hard as you are."

Emma glanced up, her lips flickering with a smile, before turning her attention to her own portion of meat. Now that Regina had been served, she didn't seem as worried about her carving skills.

When she was done with that, she reached out to serve Regina some potatoes. Regina got there first, lifting her eyebrows.

"Sit down, Emma," she said, and it was weird how commanding she could sound when they weren't in the bedroom. "I can take care of myself."

Emma sucked in her cheeks and did as she was told. She could see a weird glimmer in Regina's eye as she served herself some food, and then piled some more onto Emma's own plate – it looked like hunger. Like she was actually looking forward to trying this meal.

"You do remember our bet, right?" Emma said, smirking when Regina glared across the table at her.

"Of course I do," Regina said, pushing Emma's plate back towards her. "I haven't had seconds yet. I haven't even had firsts."

"Well, go on then. Unless you're stalling."

"If I am, it's only out of self-preservation – I'm just trying to extend my last days for as long as possible."

Emma laughed in spite of herself. She finally reached out for her own cutlery and began to dig into her food, hoping that Regina would eventually follow suit.

To her tastes, it was pretty great. She hadn't been lying when she'd told Regina that she made a really good roast chicken – it had been her signature dish for a long time. However, she was well aware of the fact that Regina's tastes were quite different to her own, and suddenly the most important thing in the world wasn't winning this bet – it was just making something that Regina would enjoy.

After a minute of near-silence, she looked up. Regina was chewing with an expression on her face that she couldn't read.

"Is it… okay?"

Regina wasn't sure how to answer that – not when answering truthfully would force her to willingly lose a bet, and half her pride in the process. The food was delicious: crispy and meaty and laced with herbs that she wouldn't have thought Emma had even heard of. She thought maybe it needed a little more salt, but otherwise it was damn near perfect. But she couldn't very well say that out  _loud_.

Lying, however, would make Emma's face do that sad puppy thing that made her heart bleed. Altogether, she had a dilemma.

"It's good," Regina said, wincing when she realised that she sounded like she was lying. She tried again. "It's actually very good."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "Seriously?"

"It is. I'm just trying not to be too enthusiastic," Regina explained, "because technically, I haven't lost the bet until I have seconds."

She could see Emma trying not to laugh as she said, "I should have given you a smaller portion then."

"No no," Regina said, tugging her plate closer to her like she was expecting Emma to reach out and snatch some of her food away. "This is just fine."

Emma smiled weakly, still unconvinced by Regina's reaction, and went back to her own food.

She realised right then that she shouldn't have invited Regina over for dinner – not because she didn't want her there, but because dinner meant eating, and eating meant no talking. She had always hated going to restaurants for dates, because as soon as the food arrived, the chatter died down and her knee would start bouncing uncontrollably underneath the table as she would try and think of something to fill the awkward silence.

This was exactly the same as that, except – she realised a second later – she probably shouldn't be thinking of it as a date.

Blinking, as if that alone would shake the thought from her mind, she grasped around for something else to think about. And, as was her wont, as soon as she'd thought it, the words popped out of her mouth.

"Is this weird for you?" she heard herself ask.

Regina looked up with a sigh. She had been forcing herself not to wolf the potatoes down too quickly, or else she knew she'd end up with hiccups. "I've already told you that it tastes good."

"No, not the food," Emma said, gesturing between them with her fork. "This. Us."

Regina raised one eyebrow and said, "Emma, I've had my head between your legs on multiple occasions. Why would  _this_  be weird?"

Emma laughed to cover her embarrassed blush. "I just… This is the first time we've really hung out together. We'd only just gotten used to being civil to one another when suddenly we had to get used to sleeping together too. Now we're being friends. It's just a lot of change in a short space of time."

She was surprised, and a little touched, when Regina's face fell. "You don't want us to be friends?"

"Of course I do," Emma garbled as quickly as she could. "I really do. I just meant that a lot's changed. I wanted to know how it felt for you."

Regina paused as she considered this question. Her gaze fell back down to her plate, and with a jolt Emma realised it was because she was embarrassed. "Actually, Emma, it feels really… nice."

"It does?" Emma heard the eagerness in her own voice and begged herself to tone it down.

"Yes," Regina said, swallowing. "I mean… You know I don't exactly have many friends in this town. I know that whatever everyone says about how much I've changed, they will always be slightly wary of me. I know that, and I'm okay with it. But I'm not going to pretend it's not nice to have someone who doesn't still act a bit scared whenever I'm around."

She paused then, her and Emma thinking the same thing simultaneously.

"Well," she corrected herself, flashing Emma a smile. "When I don't want you to be, anyway."

Emma grinned back at her. "I know what you mean. Part of me was always worried that things would stay kind of awkward between us, and maybe doing this would ruin what weird little semi-friendship we had going on. But instead, it's like…"

She couldn't articulate what exactly it was like, and luckily Regina didn't expect her to.

"We started this arrangement as a purely physical thing," Regina said softly. "And that's gone better than I ever could have imagined. But it's somehow even nicer to have found someone who I enjoy talking to after it's all done."

Emma's smile was broad enough to split her face in half, and all Regina wanted to do was lean over the table and kiss it off of her. But she didn't – instead she just went back to her food, ignoring the pounding in her chest and the fact she couldn't swallow so easily anymore because her throat felt like it was closing up.

They continued eating quietly, and Emma didn't feel as uncomfortable with the silence. But she kept finding herself glancing up from her plate, her eyes constantly seeking out Regina, and she begged herself to stop it. Regina would catch her, and she would be mortified.

She wriggled in her seat, trying to ignore the deep, twisting desire in the pit of her stomach – because that was its permanent state of being whenever she was in the same room as the mayor – as her eyes automatically sought out Regina's cleavage once more.

"Are you checking how much I'm eating?" Regina asked, making her jump. Emma looked up and caught the amusement on her face.

"…yes," Emma said, realising that this was less embarrassing. "You're nearly finished, you know. Do you want seconds yet?"

That mischievous grin made Regina's fingers twitch. For years now, she'd found herself falling into the terrible habit of imagining Emma in compromising positions whenever she smirked at her like that. Now, out of absolutely nowhere, she found herself faced with the most delicious mental image of Emma wearing nothing but that filthy smile while Regina fucked her with a strap-on. It hit her abruptly, and she forced back a moan of longing.

"Not yet," she said slowly.  _Would losing a bet really be that bad?_

She was planning on giving Emma far more than five measly orgasms whatever happened. But she wanted to do it as the victor – it was the only way she worked.

"Suit yourself," Emma shrugged, going back to her own plate. She was scraping it clean of the remaining potatoes, her spare hand already reaching out for the serving spoon so she could help herself to some more. Regina watched her greedily, although she wasn't 100 percent certain whether her hunger had come from wanting the food, or wanting Emma herself.

It was infuriating, really. Not only was Emma beautiful, witty, wily and incredible in bed – she was a good cook too. She was full of surprises.

That was half of the reason why Regina had fallen for her in the first place.

Regina pursed her lips and lifted her wine glass, watching as Emma heaped a second portion onto her own plate. She glanced up and rolled her eyes at Regina.

"Regina," she said, gesturing to her mostly empty plate. "For god's sake. Don't starve yourself for the sake of a really stupid bet."

"It's no more stupid than any other bet," Regina pointed out.

"It is when it was kind of a joke in the first place," Emma said. Then she paused. "Besides. I only suggested it because I couldn't think of another way to get you round here."

Regina felt her eyebrows shoot up. "Really?"

"…maybe," Emma said. "If you let me give you some more food, I'll tell you."

She wiggled her eyebrows, hoping to lure Regina in with her mischievousness, but Regina just laughed.

"I don't think so."

"Oh, come on," Emma groaned, brandishing the potato spoon. "Forget the deal. I've had too many drinks for any kinky shit tonight, anyway. Just have some more food so you can go home knowing that maybe I'm not a completely useless cook after all."

"You're getting ahead of yourself, Emma. I never said that."

But Regina wasn't as good a liar as she thought she was. Emma could see the tremor in her pursed lips that meant she was trying to restrain herself from something, and she could see the glimmer of longing in her deep brown eyes. She'd seen the exact same look on her face for years, and it taken her far too long to put the pieces together and realise exactly what it meant: it was a look that had culminated in Regina's mouth being pressed hotly against her ear in the middle of Aesop's Tables, telling her in a dark, hushed voice exactly what she'd been wanting to do to her for the past three years.

Granted, the way she was looking at the crispy skin of the roast chicken didn't have quite the same voltage, but it was cut from the same cloth. Regina was hungry for something. Just, this time, it was actually for food.

Emma knew she wouldn't cave. Regina simply didn't do that. But, if she thought she might be able to get away with it in secret, she would probably give it a shot.

Emma suddenly pushed her chair back, wiping her mouth on her napkin. Regina blinked at her.

"Will you excuse me for a second?"

"Of course," Regina said, her fingers tapping against the edge of the table. For a moment she was worried that she'd hurt Emma's feelings, although the tiny twist of a smile on her lips hadn't given her any reason to believe that.

Emma left quickly, not looking back as she walked out into the hall. Regina was left staring at the swinging door, her eyes narrowed. If she'd taken a bit more time to think about it, maybe she would have suspected that Emma was trying to set her up. But she was two glasses of wine down and the smell of food was working its way up her nostrils, and her eyes drifted back towards the spread table far sooner than it normally would have done.

She wetted her lips, her gaze settling on a particularly crispy potato that she'd had her eye on for a while, and paused. When she didn't hear any footsteps, she reached out with her fingers and snatched it out of the bowl.

She chewed it quickly, like she was afraid of getting in trouble, and let her eyes flutter closed.  _Jesus Christ, she really can cook._  She knew she was being stupid and stubborn by refusing to just concede that she'd lost this round, but her pride was the only thing she had left from her former life. She wasn't going to give it up just because a pair of pretty green eyes wanted her to.

She finished the potato and glanced towards the door. Emma must be in the bathroom, and Regina was almost certain she would be able to hear her footsteps approaching the door once more. She paused even so, waiting just in case Emma was tiptoeing around, but when she didn't reappear, Regina's attention fell back to the table.

She probably won't notice that crispy bit of chicken going missing…

Regina lifted her fork and tried to spear it as quickly as possible, but dropped it at once. Tutting to herself, she tried again, before dropping it a second time. She gave up on the fork, instead lifting it with her fingers and quickly navigating it towards her mouth. It was only then that she looked back towards the door.

Emma was leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrows raised. She looked like she was fighting through the desire to burst out laughing.

Regina fell still, the food still clasped between her fingers. She sighed.

"How long were you there?"

"Not long," Emma said lightly. "Long enough to know that I won fair and square."

"Spying on me is not fair," Regina huffed, lowering her hand. She still wanted the food, but humiliation was prickling at her cheeks and now she had a new reason why she should deny herself any more.

Emma saw the embarrassment in her jutting lower lip and stopped smirking. "Hey – it was only a stupid bet. I'm not actually going to make you follow through on it."

"Yes, but—"

"But nothing," Emma said firmly, walking back towards the table and grabbing the nearly empty bottle of wine on her way. "I was just enjoying teasing you. It's not important. I'm just glad you actually liked the food."

Regina sighed. She was still holding onto the offending piece of meat, but she was toying with it on top of her plate, trying to decide whether to drop it or not.

"It was very good," she grudgingly admitted. "You already knew that."

"I had an inkling," Emma said, pouring the majority of the wine into Regina's glass before putting the remaining trickle in her own. "Were you really pretending otherwise just so you wouldn't lose?"

There was a considerable pause before Regina said, "…yes."

"You have that much pride?"

"Is that surprising to you?" Regina asked, and her voice was snappier than Emma was expecting. She blinked, flinching back half an inch.

"Hey," she said, reaching out to touch Regina's hand. "I'm sorry for sneaking up on you. I thought this was a game, and I was just trying to win. I won't do it again."

Regina raised her eyes. The sincerity on Emma's face was startling – she'd been apologised to many times before, by hundreds of different people, but this was one of very few times when she unequivocally believed them.

Her treacherous pride was still burning at the back of her throat and it would have been so easy to let it overcome her. But Emma was watching her worriedly, her fingers still resting on the back of her hand, and suddenly she realised that some things weren't worth it.

Besides, she was still holding onto a cooling piece of chicken, so she didn't have much ground to stand on.

"Okay," she said, forcing a smile. "I guess I'm just bitter that you bested me."

"At least you can freely eat some more now, though," Emma said, nodding temptingly at the food. "Can I give you seconds?"

Regina finally dropped the morsel of chicken that had gotten her into trouble and sighed. "Go on. I suppose I will need my energy for all these orgasms I owe you."

Emma snorted, grabbing the serving spoon. "I was being serious, Regina – I wasn't actually going to make you do that. It was a stupid joke because I know how competitive you are."

"Ah, so you spied on me  _and_  you manipulated me?" Regina asked, expecting Emma to look repentant. Instead she just grinned wickedly, and the final trace of resentment disappeared from Regina's body entirely.

"Are you surprised?"

"No," Regina said, watching as Emma cheerfully piled more food onto her plate. "I can't say that I am."

* * *

When the food was finally finished and Emma and Regina had made major inroads into a second bottle of wine, Regina felt considerably more relaxed than she had done for many weeks. Maybe that was because she was slightly tipsy, or maybe it was because Emma was telling her a story about the sheriff station with a drunken flush tingeing her cheeks, but either way, she was forced to admit that Emma's plan had worked: she did feel comfortable.

She sighed happily, taking another sip of her wine, and watched the way that Emma's hands moved as she talked. She rarely saw her like this – they were similar in the sense that they both reined themselves in when they were in public, and it was nice to see Emma let loose and not care about how loud her voice was getting. Regina had heard her laugh more times in the past two hours than she had since she'd arrived in Storybrooke.

There was a warmness in Regina's heart that hadn't come from the wine.

"Why are you staring at me?" Emma suddenly asked. "Am I talking too much?"

"The opposite, actually," Regina said, putting her glass down. She was leaning back in her chair, one arm hooked over the backrest, and part of her was tempted to unbutton her jeans. "I was just thinking how nice it is to hear you talk properly."

Emma frowned. "I don't talk properly normally?"

"You only talk about things that other people want to talk about," Regina said, and Emma blinked. "Usually that's about fairy tale villains, or Hook, or your baby brother. Now you're saying what you actually want to say for once."

There was a faintly startled look on Emma's face that Regina wanted to remember forever.

"You're really observant," Emma said.

"I am," Regina agreed.

"Is that because when we're all in a big group, you prefer to just listen to everyone else rather than getting involved in the conversation?"

Regina knew Emma was simply trying to outdo her, but she was still right.

"Maybe," Regina shrugged. "It's not really my place to start weighing in on family discussions yet. For the most part, I'm just happy to be included."

There was something incredibly sad about that. Emma would have reached out to squeeze Regina's hand if she didn't already know that she would hate receiving her pity.

"Speaking of which," Emma said, suddenly grinning. "Do you think anyone has caught onto us yet?"

"How would they?" Regina asked. "Unless Henry came home while you were there and we didn't notice."

"Well – just because we think we are being subtle doesn't mean we actually are," Emma said. She was thinking of all the times she'd caught herself staring at Regina's ass in the middle of Granny's over the past month, but she couldn't really say that. "Like the other night, when Snow said something about me being tied up a lot of the time nowadays, I'm pretty sure she must have noticed me looking at you and sniggering."

"I think your mother is too wrapped up in her own world to notice any dirty jokes flying between us," Regina said, but she too was laughing at the memory. "Besides, the last thing she would imagine is going on is that we are secretly meeting up for kinky sex."

Emma snorted into her wine glass. "God, I hope you're right. Her head would explode."

"You don't think Snow White has ever heard of bondage?"

"I really hope not," Emma muttered.

"You don't think she and Charming ever got freaky in the castle—"

"Oh god, stop."

"Maybe tried something new with his sword—"

"I am begging you, stop."

"The four poster beds we had in that kingdom were good for many things, you know."

Emma was spluttering with laughter, but her face had gone bright red. "God, shut  _up_. What is the matter with you?"

"So many things," Regina leered at her. Emma abruptly got up from her chair and grabbed their plates, carrying them over to the sink.

"You are sick," she called over her shoulder.

"The idea of them having sex surely can't make you that uncomfortable," Regina said as she walked away. "Besides, you were fine hearing about your mother's sex life when she was nailing Doctor Whale."

"Ew,  _Regina_ ," Emma squawked, dropping the plates onto the counter with a crash. She turned her face to hide her burning cheeks. "Is this to get back at me for the bet?"

"Maybe a little," Regina said, getting up from her own chair and picking up the larger serving dishes. "Or maybe it's just because I really enjoy seeing you this way."

"What way is that?" Emma asked as she piled the plates into the sink and filled it with soapy water. She didn't notice Regina approaching her.

Regina placed the dishes onto the counter as quietly as she could and moved directly behind Emma. When she placed her hands on her waist, she relished the way that she jumped.

"Slightly nervous," Regina muttered against her ear, feeling her muscles tremble beneath her fingertips. "A little bit shy."

"I am not shy," Emma protested, but her shaky voice and flushed skin told Regina otherwise.

"Oh no?" Regina asked, reaching out for Emma's wrists and forcing her to turn around. "Let me take a look at you."

As soon as Emma was facing her, Regina nudged her backwards, pressing her body hard against the sink. Regina assessed her, a hint of a smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"You look a little shy to me," she murmured, leaning forwards and pressing her mouth against Emma's ear. Emma inhaled sharply, her fingers curling around the edge of the counter. "Did I embarrass you?"

"No…"

"Are you sure about that?" Regina asked, catching Emma's earlobe between her teeth. "You feel very tense. Perhaps we can do something about it."

Emma let out a soft whimper. "I don't…"

Regina pressed herself harder against her, lifting one hand and cupping the back of Emma's head. Emma leaned into her, shivering against the feeling of Regina's mouth slowly working over her ear.

"You've gone all timid," Regina chuckled, knowing full well that Emma couldn't resist that sound.

"I'm not timid," Emma insisted, even though her voice came out as little more than a murmur.

"Would you like to try that again with a little more conviction?"

"No."

"Would you like me to leave?" Regina asked, pulling back half an inch. Emma immediately snatched at her waist, pulling her back against her.

" _No_."

Regina smirked against her cheek, gently rubbing the tip of her nose against Emma's hot skin. "Then what would you like, Miss Swan?"

Right on cue, Emma let out a faint groan, her grip on Regina's waist getting tighter. As she shifted position, she felt Regina's thigh slip between her own.

"I thought you said you didn't like doing this when we've been drinking," Emma murmured, her eyes fluttering closed. Behind her head, Regina's fingers were beginning to slowly tease through her hair.

Regina pressed a kiss just below Emma's ear. "I don't like dominating you when we've had a drink. But I didn't say anything about doing that tonight."

"No?"

"No," Regina said, dragging her lips towards Emma's jaw. She liked to see the lipstick smears she left behind. "Maybe I just want to do something about that bet you won."

"I told you," Emma quickly said. "I wasn't being—"

Regina cut her off by kissing the words from her mouth. Emma moaned, clinging onto Regina's waist a little harder, and let herself be dipped backwards over the sink.

"What was it?" Regina murmured when she pulled away. "Five?"

She could feel Emma trembling as she replied, "…yeah."

"I think that's achievable," Regina said, her right hand leaving the back of Emma's neck and creeping down her body. Every inch of it was taut with anticipation, trembling beneath Regina's fingertips.

"Are you okay with this?" Regina asked, pulling away momentarily. Emma's eyes immediately locked onto her lips, a sigh of longing escaping her.

"With what?"

"This," Regina said, her hand settling on Emma's waist. "Doing this now. We can wait until another time, if you prefer – when we are sober and can go back to our normal arrangement."

The disappointment that flashed over Emma's face told her everything she needed to know, but just in case she hadn't got the message across properly, Emma reached out for the back of Regina's neck and tugged her forwards. She kissed her fiercely, desperately, with none of her usual finesse and the taste of wine still lingering on her tongue.

When she pulled away, her hands were trembling. Her wide eyes begged Regina to understand her.

"Being with you is exciting, no matter what game we're playing," she said. "Please don't go."

Regina never had any intention of leaving, but the fervour in Emma's voice made her never want to step out of that house again. She leaned forwards and returned Emma's kiss, curling her tongue deep through her mouth with her hand slipping upward to rest over her breast. Emma pushed herself into her touch, the alcohol making her more confident and more fraught simultaneously, and held onto her so tightly that she could feel the shifting of Regina's muscles beneath her fingertips.

With one arm holding Emma steady, Regina's other hand slid back down her body and settled at the top of her jeans. When she tugged Emma's shirt up and placed a hand possessively on her warm abdomen, she let out a little sigh of her own.

Emma giggled. "My stomach's a bit full."

But Regina hadn't been thinking that – she'd been thinking the exact opposite.

"You're unbelievably sexy even when you are full of food," she hummed against Emma's ear. "I don't know how you do it."

If she'd pulled away, she would have seen a blush of pleasure tingeing Emma's cheeks. But she didn't, because she was buried beneath Emma's soft, vanilla-scented curls, slowly kissing her neck and enjoying the sharp taste of her perfume against her tongue.

She felt Emma's fingers cling harder to the back of her neck, and she chuckled. She grasped at the button of Emma's jeans, popping it open with an easy flourish.

When she slid her hand into Emma's panties, she couldn't help the moan that escaped her own lips. "Oh, Emma."

If she had been with anyone else, Emma might have felt embarrassed. But she didn't, because she heard the throb of longing in Regina's voice, and she knew just how quickly her heart would have skipped when she realised how wet she was.

"Is this all for me?" Regina murmured as her fingers skimmed over Emma's slippery skin. Emma whimpered, feeling her legs go momentarily weak.

"Yes," she replied, then inhaled. "Well. Maybe 99 percent for you and one percent for those potatoes."

Regina laughed – a genuine, hearty laugh that came from deep in her chest – and Emma swore she felt herself get even wetter at the sound of it.

"I can relate to that," she said, still faintly chuckling. Her fingers had carried on moving like nothing and no one in the world could stop them. When she slipped one finger inside, Emma's entire body arched towards her, her own laughter dying in her throat.

"I like you in this house," Regina said, trailing kisses down the side of Emma's neck as she spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"You're more confident," Regina explained, her left hand sneaking up the back of Emma's shirt and swiftly unhooking her bra.

Emma didn't feel particularly confident then – not when Regina was nipping and sucking her way down her throat, sending electric shivers through every nerve in her body. As Regina's left hand slid up under her now loose bra and gently thumbed one nipple, Emma's head fell back, her knees trembling.

"I was timid a second ago," she somehow managed to point out, and Regina laughed.

"I'm excluding the past five minutes," she murmured, slipping a second finger inside her and slowly beginning to drive them in and out. "You're right – you do appear a little shaken right now."

Emma moaned, because she couldn't respond with words. Her right arm was wrapped around Regina's neck, desperately trying to hold her upright, while her other hand was gripped around the edge of the countertop like her life depended on it. Her body was shaking all over and she nearly asked Regina if they could go sit somewhere instead, but she didn't – she couldn't. Not when her wetness was slicked all down Regina's fingers, her clit was thrumming at the exact same rate as her pounding heart, and a familiar wave of hot, winding pleasure was creeping towards her.

"Regina," Emma gasped, her curls tickling against her spine, as Regina pushed her harder against the sink. Her fingers were plunging into her as fast and as hard as they could, and it seemingly didn't matter than Emma's tight jeans were getting in her way or that the wooden counter was digging into Emma's back. Regina recognised those gradually lengthening gasps like they were her own voice, and she grinned against Emma's throat.

"Are you going to come for me, Miss Swan?"

Emma whimpered, her nails digging into Regina's neck, and nodded feverishly. "Yes,  _yes_."

Heat was spreading throughout her body, starting in her slick cunt and ending in her loose, tingling limbs, and when she finally felt it consume her, she collapsed back against the sink, the ends of her hair trailing in the soapy water. Regina held her up as her muscles quivered for what felt like hours, her fingers continuing to thrust deep inside her pussy until Emma finally shrieked, grabbing at her wrist.

"Stop," she gasped out, her heart pounding. Her panties were soaked through and she could already feel the dampness beginning to sink into her jeans. "Oh my god. That was intense."

Regina pulled away, pressing a kiss against her burning cheek. "One down. Four to go."

Emma nearly choked. "Can we reassess that number, maybe?"

"Absolutely not," Regina said, finally pulling her hand free of Emma's jeans. She left them unbuttoned and brought her fingers to her lips, sliding them deep into her mouth, one by one, and made sure Emma was watching her as she did so.

Emma let out a whimper, her eyes wide and glassy. Her legs were still trembling.

"Something the matter?" Regina asked, lifting her eyebrows.

"I was just…" Emma swallowed, still trying to get her breath back. "I was just thinking how much control you have over me, even when you're not dominating me."

Regina laughed, her eyes crinkling up at the sides. "Do you think so?"

"I really do."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Definitely not," Emma said, lifting a hand and slowly rubbing her thumb over Regina's cheek. "Well. Not until you force me to have five orgasms when I'm already exhausted after one."

Regina's soft smile immediately twisted into a satisfied smirk. "Miss Swan, I think you'll find that the conditions of our arrangement were clear. You even laid them out yourself."

"I know," Emma said, rolling her eyes and enjoying being able to do so for once. "I'm just so hot and sticky already. Plus I'm a tiny bit wasted – I don't know how easy it will be for me to come four more times."

"You're seriously complaining about having five orgasms?" Regina asked, pulling back an inch. "Good lord, Emma. You should be more grateful. You do remember what it was like being in a straight relationship, don't you?"

Emma laughed, tilting her head back. "Fair point."

"Besides," Regina said. "You should let me worry about that second problem."

There was a pause as she glanced down, taking in Emma's slightly smiling mouth.

"As for the first problem," she said, her voice dropping. The sound of it sent shivers through Emma's limbs. "I may have a solution."

Emma blinked. "Really?"

"I always do," Regina said, stepping back. She held out a hand, waiting for Emma to take hold of it. "Follow me, please."

She tugged her out of the kitchen and towards the stairs, not saying another word. She was infinitely grateful that Emma had let her have a look around – not just because she knew where she was going, but because she felt confident in doing so. Her self-assuredness had returned to her and she could feel it bubbling up in her veins.

"My pants are still undone," Emma giggled from behind her. Her bra was also flapping around underneath her shirt, and her wet panties were stuck to her pussy in an uncomfortable bunch.

"You won't be wearing them for long," Regina said, leading Emma up the stairs. They reached the master bedroom and Emma braced herself, expecting Regina to shove her towards the bed without preamble. But she brushed right past it, pulling Emma instead to the doorway in the corner that led to her en suite bathroom.

"What's happening?" Emma asked, blinking as Regina flicked on the light and dragged her inside.

"Get your clothes off," Regina replied by way of response. She may not have been Emma's Dom right then, but fuck, she still knew how to boss her around.

Emma shivered, tugging her jeans down without a word of protest. As she undressed, she watched Regina leaning into the shower cubicle and switching on the water.

Regina turned back to Emma and pulled off her own shirt, dropping it carelessly onto the tiled floor. Emma's eyes immediately fell to her lacy bra, her face flickering with longing, before she went back to peeling the rest of her clothes off. They didn't speak as the water heated up, but their eyes stayed on one another, silently willing the other to get naked just that tiny bit faster.

Emma won, but only by a second. She watched as Regina removed her panties, then stood upright, naked and toned and overwhelmingly beautiful. When she reached up to tousle her own hair, Emma's mouth went completely dry.

Steam was slowly starting to fill the room, but that wasn't the reason why Emma suddenly felt so warm. She watched as Regina lifted a hand, curling a single finger in Emma's direction.

"Come here," she said in her lowest voice. "Now."

As soon as Emma was within grabbing distance, she snaked an arm around her neck and pulled her close, pressing a fiery kiss against her already parted lips. Her other hand crept downwards and gently cupped Emma's pussy, soaking up the noise she made. It was half a gasp and half a whimper, and it was delicious enough that Regina wanted to drink it up.

"How do you feel about getting this lovely hair wet?" Regina asked quietly, her middle finger slowly circling around Emma's clit. Emma moaned, clinging onto Regina's shoulders.

"I don't care," she panted. She didn't care about anything – she didn't care that she was still wearing a full face of make up and soon it would be streaming down her face, and she didn't care that Regina was about to see that she still used store-brand shampoo because she liked the way it smelled. She didn't care that five minutes ago she had been exhaustedly slumped against the kitchen sink. Now her body was tingling all over and Regina's naked breasts were pressed up against her own, and the thought of four more orgasms wasn't terrifying anymore. If anything, she suddenly felt like it wouldn't be enough.

She whimpered when she felt something trickle down the inside of her thigh, her head falling forwards against Regina's shoulder.

Regina chuckled, pulling her closer. "I love feeling how wet you get for me."

"No one has ever made me this wet before," Emma mumbled. She felt embarrassed, though she couldn't explain why. Especially not when she could feel Regina's body growing warm with pride below her fingers.

"I'm very glad to hear that," she replied, pressing a kiss against Emma's temple. "I'm about to get you a bit wetter, though. Get in the shower."

Emma giggled and, though she was reluctant to let go of Regina, she did as she was told. Regina stepped in after her and slid the door shut.

The shower wasn't huge by any stretch, but it was big enough for them both to stand in it without getting caught under the water. However, the door had been shut for barely two seconds before Regina slid her arms around Emma's waist, pulling her close against her body, and edged them towards the stream.

Emma shrieked as the water cascaded down on her head, flattening her hair against the sides of her face and probably streaking her mascara down as far as her chin. Regina laughed at her, not really caring when she felt the water completely ruining the curls she'd spent hours perfecting earlier that evening. It was worth it to have Emma pressed up against her, wet and naked, with her face scrunched up in outrage and laughter.

"It's only water, Miss Swan," Regina said, reaching out to wipe the dark smudges away from below Emma's eyes. She dreaded to think what her own face must look like: she had put on waterproof mascara that evening, but she still suspected she couldn't look much better. "Do you always make this much fuss when it's time to bathe?"

Emma reached up and flicked the water stream in her direction. "Shut up."

"You shut up."

"I have never shut up in my life, and I never plan to," Emma said, and it was such a ridiculously Emma thing to say that Regina found herself cackling with laughter. She reached out for the sides of Emma's face and tugged her forwards, pressing a kiss against her lips that started off hard and fierce but slowly melted into something much more tender.

"You really are an idiot," she murmured against her lips, her eyes closed. She felt Emma smile back at her.

"Maybe a little. But I know you like it when I talk complete crap."

Regina opened her eyes. There were beads of water hanging like snowdrops from Emma's eyelashes, and the sight of her was more beautiful than anything Regina had ever seen before.

Regina's breath caught, and she swallowed down the desire to say the words out loud.

"I don't think I've ever told you that," was what she forced out instead. Emma grinned back at her, sliding both her hands up her body and gently grabbing hold of her wet breasts.

"You never had to," she said. "I just know how irresistible my charms are."

Regina moaned as Emma's fingers skimmed over her hardening nipples.

"This is what I meant about you being more confident here."

"Is that suddenly a bad thing?" Emma asked with a coy tilt of her head. She pinched Regina's nipples as she spoke, and before she could prepare herself, she was suddenly being pushed backwards against the cold tiles, Regina's hands holding tightly onto her waist.

"Not bad," she murmured, capturing Emma's mouth once more and kissing her with every ounce of passion she possessed. Emma was left breathless and gasping when she pulled away again. "Just different."

But Emma's sudden burst of self-assurance disappeared into the air along with the steam that surrounded them, and she blinked up at Regina with a glimmer of uncertainty in her eyes. It was the good kind of uncertainty – the kind that told Regina that she was in charge, no matter what stunts Emma was trying to pull.

Regina smirked when she saw it. One hand reached up from Emma's waist and snaked behind her neck instead, pulling her close for another deep kiss.

Emma sighed, melting into it. The feeling of Regina's body pressed so firmly against hers was making her go dizzy. She lifted her hands and cupped the back of Regina's head, teasing her fingers through the dripping wet hair. A taut thigh suddenly slipped between her legs and she moaned, the noise echoing off the tiles.

"I love that sound," Regina murmured into her ear, wedging her thigh more firmly against Emma's pussy. "I missed hearing you moan when we were at Granny's."

Emma was clinging onto Regina's neck for dear life, her hips already rolling forward against Regina's leg. "I think I moaned plenty at Granny's."

Regina laughed. "You did. But I do so love it when you can let loose, like this."

But even as she said the words, she could tell that Emma was trying to hold back. Her teeth were digging into Regina's shoulder and she was holding her breath, somehow afraid that someone was going to hear them.

Regina narrowed her eyes, hesitant for a moment, before she decided that – as usual – going on the attack was her best option.

She pushed Emma harder against the slippery tiles and buried her mouth in the crook of her neck, dragging her teeth over her thundering pulse point. Emma whimpered, grinding her cunt against Regina's slick skin, and sucked in a breath when she felt Regina's hands sliding down her body to grasp hold of her hips.

"Remind me," Regina murmured in her ear, brushing the tip of her nose against her wet curls. "How many more orgasms do I owe you?"

Emma swallowed. "Four."

"Are you certain?" Regina asked, her right hand slipping between Emma's legs. "I thought it was only three."

"No," Emma gasped, her voice hitching as Regina's fingers begin to trace over her pussy. "It's four."

"You're being greedy."

"I'm not."

"Don't disagree with me," Regina said. Her voice was low and commanding, and though it lacked her usual snap of disapproval, she still felt Emma's muscles tighten beneath her touch, torn between afraid and aroused. "Five minutes ago you were complaining that I was trying to make you come too many times. Now you're begging for more. I can feel how greedy you are on my fingers, Miss Swan."

Emma stifled a moan against Regina's shoulder, biting down hard and not caring that she was leaving a mark. Judging from Regina's soft chuckle, she didn't care much either – rather, she felt her own cunt throb from the sensation of Emma's teeth digging into her flesh. Her fingertips skimmed through Emma's folds, the water that was cascading down on them doing nothing to disguise her sticky arousal.

As Emma felt Regina's fingers graze over her clit, once gently and then harder a second time, she groaned, her head falling backwards. She waited for Regina to automatically swoop forwards, her lips seeking out Emma's exposed pulsepoint, but it never happened: Regina was busy, her sharp eyes on Emma's face, watching the way her expression changed with the pressure of Regina's digits.

_You look so beautiful._

_God,_  Regina snapped at herself, pressing a hard kiss against Emma's lips to stop herself from saying it out loud. _Get a hold of yourself – you know you shouldn't be thinking things like that._

But she was, and when she caught the glimmer of confusion in Emma's eyes, wondering why Regina's body had gone momentarily rigid, it was all she could do not to tenderly whisper the words in Emma's ear.

She leaned back in to kiss the breath out of Emma's mouth, and rubbed the flat of her hand against the apex of her thighs. She felt Emma's legs trembling as she touched her, her fingers firm and demanding against her cunt, and Regina stifled a moan from the overwhelming sweetness of it all.

"Regina," Emma gasped into her ear, her hands gripping even tighter onto Regina's shoulders. She could feel her knees starting to wobble as a hot, tight wave of pleasure started to creep up the back of her neck. "Harder. Please."

Regina was sickeningly grateful that she wasn't Emma's Dom right then, because nothing made her happier than being able to do exactly what Emma asked of her. She leaned into her body and began to move her hand faster, her fingers never directly seeking out Emma's clit but the whole flat of her hand pressing furiously against every single nerve in her cunt that was longing for attention. Emma moaned, her short nails leaving gritty half-moons in the skin of Regina's shoulders, and rolled her hips forwards against the feeling between her legs that was slowly starting to make her come undone.

"Are you close, Miss Swan?" Regina murmured in her ear, and as soon as Emma heard that special name that Regina used for her, it was all over. The hot twist in her stomach began to creep through the rest of her body and she threw her head back against the tiles, gasping over the sucking sounds of her own wet cunt against Regina's torturing fingers.

When she finally came down from her high, she was vaguely aware of the fact that Regina was holding her tight against her body. Emma's legs weren't working as hard as they should have been, and after a few moments she realised that it was because Regina was holding her up instead, carefully pinning her against the wall to make sure she didn't fall.

The realisation made Emma sigh all over again.

She reached out for the back of Regina's neck and tugged her forwards, lapping up the sound of Regina's palm slapping against the tiles beside her head as she fought to hold herself steady.

"Regina," Emma gasped, her eyes glistening. "That was…"

And she didn't finish the sentence, because she couldn't. Regina smiled back at her, her spare hand pressed possessively over the small of Emma's back.

"Two down," she murmured, leaning forwards and sucking hard on the spot below Emma's right ear that she knew made her go weak all over.

She could feel Emma's entire body vibrating beneath her fingertips.

"Can I get a time out?"

Regina smirked, knowing she was only half joking, and pretended to consider the question. She took a minute step backwards, ignoring the water that streamed over her as she moved, and turned to look at the showerhead that was still pouring hot water down onto her naked body.

"No," she said, reaching up to lift it out of its holder. Emma suddenly went very, very still.

Regina approached her, the showerhead gripped in her hand like a weapon, and looked pointedly down at Emma's still-trembling legs.

"Are you going to be able to stay upright, Miss Swan?"

Emma genuinely wasn't sure how to answer that. One of her hands automatically fell behind her, pressing itself flat against the tiles, like that alone was going to stop her from crumbling under Regina's touch.

Regina chuckled under her breath, pressing the full length of her body against Emma's. Emma could feel the water – suddenly hot and intimidating – cascading down one leg from where the shower was dangling aimlessly from Regina's hand.

"In that case," Regina said, as if Emma had answered her. "Perhaps you'd better hold on."

She lifted her chin, waiting for Emma to do as she was told. A moment later, a pair of shaky hands slid up and around Regina's neck, securing themselves at the base of her skull.

Regina laughed, burying her face against Emma's throat, where her pulse was pounding out a rhythm so frantic and loud that Regina could feel it coursing through her own body.

"Don't let go," she murmured, dragging her tongue along the jut of Emma's jaw and relishing the way that her entire body shivered.

She felt Emma nod, and that was all the incentive she needed. Taking a breath, she lifted the showerhead between them and aimed the piercing stream directly between Emma's legs.

At once, Emma's breath left her. She tightened her grip around Regina's neck and gasped out loud, rolling her hips back against the cold tiles to get away from the torrent of warm water directly against her clit. Every cell in her body was still tender from the two ferocious orgasms she'd already had in the past 15 minutes, and the feeling of the unyielding stream against the most sensitive part of her body simultaneously made her want to scream out loud and come without a moment's hesitation.

She knew she was probably hurting Regina with how tightly she was holding onto her neck, but she couldn't stop herself from digging in just that little bit harder as that wave of pleasure began to tiptoe back towards her, coiling its way around her limbs and pinning her, helpless, against the wall. She heard herself moan, and it was a low, animalistic noise that she barely recognised coming from her own mouth. Regina laughed once more, the sound echoing off the tiles, and that just pushed her further along. Emma's toes curled against the slippery floor, and even though she could feel a cramp forming in her furiously tensed shoulders, she didn't loosen up. She couldn't. Not when Regina had focused every single shred of energy she possessed on the greediest part of her body, and she couldn't think of a single damn thing other than how good it felt and how close she was to coming and how delicious Regina's wet skin felt beneath her fingertips.

When Regina suddenly buried her teeth in the curve of her neck and sucked hard on her skin, she was gone. She came with a long, desperate moan that was dangerously verging on a scream. Her feet threatened to slip out from underneath her, but Regina had her – one arm was coiled around her waist and holding her firmly against the sweating tiles, while the other held the thick stream of water between her legs until it started to feel like fire.

"Stop," Emma gasped out, wriggling away, not saying 'red' because she didn't want to and she didn't need to. Regina pulled the water away at once, not bothering to hide her self-satisfied smile, and replaced the shower in its holder, not for a single second letting go of Emma's waist.

She continued holding onto her as she waited for Emma's breathing to return to normal. She was trembling in the most endearing way possible, her nose grazing over Regina's shoulder. Her usually blonde hair had gone dark from the water, and it made her look younger.

"Everything okay?" Regina asked after a moment. She could feel Emma smile against her skin.

"Yeah. More than okay," she sighed. "I have a request, though."

"Go ahead."

"If you're really planning on going through with the next two," Emma said, pulling away and meeting Regina's amused gaze, "can I please not stand up for them?"

Regina laughed, looking down at Emma's shaky legs. "That's probably smart. Let's get you out of here before you slip over."

Regina turned the water off and gently led Emma out into the steamy bathroom. After wiping the rest of their smeared make up from their faces and towel-drying their hair, they looked expectantly at one another. After a beat, Regina held out her hand and led Emma back into the bedroom.

Excited tingles shot up Emma's arm from the mere feeling of Regina's fingers laced through her own, and she drew in a breath to try and steady herself. She couldn't take her eyes off of Regina's perfectly sculpted body as she walked ahead of her, and she heard the beginnings of a wistful sigh escaping from her own lips. Regina glanced over her shoulder, a glimmer of a smile on her face, and Emma knew she'd heard it too.

But she didn't say anything – they both knew she didn't need to. She could feel Emma's desire for her radiating off of her naked body like the steam that was still curling around the bathroom. They reached the bed and the instant Regina turned to face her, Emma's body was pressed back up against hers, her lips desperately seeking out Regina's mouth while her hands slipped around the back of her neck.

"Are you already ready for round four?" Regina murmured when she paused for air. Emma didn't mind that she was laughing at her – the warm throbbing between her legs was only growing, and seemingly her body hadn't got the memo that three orgasms was more than enough. She wanted more, and she wanted it now.

"Yes," Emma gasped, her hands crawling down the front of Regina's body and gently grasping hold of her breasts. She loved the way Regina's head fell back when she did that. "Please."

"Always so polite," Regina said, a second before she grabbed hold of Emma's waist and pushed her towards the bed. Emma toppled back onto the mattress with a surprised laugh.

"I've learned how much you like good manners," she said, watching with a darkening gaze as Regina approached her. Crawling on top of her, her wicked smile grew bolder.

"I do," Regina agreed, dipping her head so she could capture Emma's mouth with her own. At once Emma's body arched up to meet her, her hand cupping the back of Regina's head. As Regina lowered herself down, Emma jumped, feeling a sticky warmth against the top of her thigh that she knew wasn't just water from the shower.

"Surely it's your turn now," Emma gasped, tearing her mouth away from Regina's. Regina was already smirking at her.

"Oh, no," she purred, burying her face against Emma's neck. Every nerve in her body crackled when Emma moaned, her back arching off of the bed. "That was never part of our agreement."

"But—"

"Shut up," Regina said, letting her lips trail down Emma's throat and over her pounding chest. She kept moving downward, using the tip of her tongue to draw up the last beads of water that were scattered over Emma's stomach like stardust. Reaching the edge of the mattress, she crawled back down onto the carpet and slipped her hands beneath Emma's trembling thighs.

Emma wanted to protest again, but her cunt was slick with longing and the words never reached her tongue. She groaned, feeling Regina's steady hands lifting her thighs and placing them over her shoulders. Just as Emma registered that she was supposed to tighten them, she felt the weight between her legs shift, and suddenly Regina's hot mouth was pressed against her cunt, sucking all logic out of her head altogether.

She moaned, her hands automatically sliding through Regina's wet hair, and pulled her closer. She felt Regina grin against her skin moments before her tongue slipped out, dragging up the full length of Emma's slit. When she reached her clit, Regina had to pin Emma's hips down to the bed to stop her arching away from her.

" _Fuck_." The word escaped from between Emma's teeth in a hiss of longing. Regina lifted her gaze and soaked up the way her chest was rising and falling; the way her shoulders were curved back against the creased sheets. Her stomach muscles were tensed, and Regina knew that was because she was, against all odds, fighting against the orgasm that was rising up inside her. It was something she'd come to clearly recognise and even love about Emma – the way that, no matter how desperately she cried and pleaded with Regina, when she was finally allowed to come, her body still tried to push it away.

Regina had asked her about it once and, with a bashful look on her face, Emma had told her that coming this hard was always a little bit scary for her. She'd never had to deal with it before she'd met Regina.

Filled with the memory of how badly she'd wanted to kiss Emma's lips sore in that moment, Regina re-focused her energy on kissing her someplace else. She curled her tongue through Emma's drenched pussy and moaned at the taste of her – something else she knew no one else had ever done for her before.

Emma whimpered with her, her hips lifting off the bed, and felt herself once again being pushed back down by a pair of firm hands. Her head was spinning in a drunken haze that was half wine and half Regina's tongue pressing against her clit, and she jumped when she realised she could feel tears pricking at the backs of her eyes.

Throwing an arm over her face so Regina wouldn't see and stop what she was doing, Emma let herself be swept under the feeling of orgasm number four creeping up her limbs. She knew she was shaking, and she knew her thighs were clamped so tightly around Regina's head that it must have been painful, but there was a fire spreading through her that she couldn't fight off. Her left hand tightened in Regina's hair, tugging her closer, like there was even the slightest chance that Regina was considering pulling away from her.

Moaning once more, Regina latched her lips around Emma's clit and began to suck, tugging Emma towards her release as slowly as she could. She could feel Emma wriggling beneath her fingertips and so she held her tighter, letting her eyes flutter closed as she devoured the taste of her. Emma had long since become her favourite flavour in the world, and from the moment this bet had been laid out, she'd known this would happen either way: giving Emma five orgasms in a row wasn't a hardship. Really, it was something akin to a privilege.

Just as that thought slipped into her mind, she heard the tell-tale breathlessness that told her Emma was close to the edge. Regina looked up at her, a hint of a smile still on her lips, and saw the deep flush that was growing in her cheeks. Her fist tightened in Regina's hair, her hips rolling forward against her probing tongue, and when Regina gently laughed, Emma came apart, her breath leaving her in a low howl.

Regina kept sucking, the tip of her tongue flicking out to tease at her clit again and again and again, and when Emma's body shuddered all over again, a faint cry escaping from her lips, Regina knew that technically she'd fulfilled her end of the bet. Five down.

Except she wasn't the type to let herself off on a technicality, and so when Emma's thighs finally went loose and she reached down to push Regina away from her, Regina had already decided that she wasn't done yet. If Emma had looked down, even through her slightly bleary eyes, she would have seen a twisted smile on Regina's parted, sticky lips.

But she didn't, because she was still frantically trying to catch her breath with one arm thrown over her face. Regina could see that her fingers were trembling, and the skin between her legs was pink and slightly puffy from the overwhelming attention that had been rained down upon it.

After a few moments, Emma's breathing began to slow down, and Regina knew that if she didn't move soon, exhaustion would overcome her entirely. So she climbed to her feet and gently tapped Emma's hip, waiting for her to come to her senses. Eventually, Emma pulled her arm away and looked up at her through glazed eyes.

"Wow," she croaked. Regina smirked back at her.

"Thank you," she said, nodding towards the pillows. "Now, would you be so kind?"

Emma blindly did as she was told, edging backwards onto the mattress. She began to heave herself towards where Regina had gestured, but before she could get too comfortable, Regina grabbed hold of her ankle.

"That's far enough."

Emma lifted her head, her brow furrowed, and watched as Regina climbed onto the bed beside her. There was an expression on her face that she didn't like at all.

"Do you mind if I take a minute before I return the favour?" she asked, and Regina could hear the tremor in her voice. She laughed.

"I'll give you a few minutes, Miss Swan. More than a few," she purred, positioning herself beside her. Emma blinked as she reached out, her fingers gripping hold of the curve of her hip, and gently tugged. "Turn over."

_Oh, God._

"Regina," Emma stammered, feeling herself being pulled onto her side without registering that she could resist if she really wanted to. "We agreed on five. You did five. I came twice that last time."

"That didn't count," Regina said, her voice cool. She tugged slightly harder and, with a yelp, Emma fell onto her stomach. "That was barely a half."

"It was not," Emma spluttered, her exhausted limbs trying and failing to push her body off the bed. Regina laughed at her once more, bending forward to press a kiss against the back of her neck. Like an off switch, Emma immediately shivered, her body going still.

"It was," Regina murmured in her ear, climbing on top of her. "Which means I still owe you one."

Torn between wanting to cry and wanting to grind her hips against the sheets, Emma let out a frustrated moan. "You don't."

"Stop arguing with me," Regina snapped, the faint tremor of an impatient Dom crackling at the back of her throat. A new kind of shiver shot through Emma's body, and to her overwhelming annoyance, she felt something wet trickle from between her legs. "A deal is a deal, Miss Swan. I don't want you to think I'm not a woman of my word."

Emma simply groaned, her hands fisting at the loose sheets. As Regina shimmied down her body, settling between her legs, she felt her ass inadvertently lift up into the air, willing Regina closer.

Regina noticed at once and snorted. "Oh, tell me again how tired you are."

Emma buried her face in the sheets, hating herself. She could feel her eyes fluttering closed from exhaustion, but the rest of her body was seemingly just waking up again. It was yet another reminder of just how strong Regina's spell over her was, and it sent a jolt of fear through her. A jolt of fear that, quite inexplicably, only made her lift her hips higher.

Regina chuckled once more. "I do enjoy fucking you, you know."

Emma felt her cheeks sizzle. Her voice was infinitely quieter when she replied, "I enjoy fucking you, too."

"Good," Regina murmured, leaning forwards over Emma's sweat-slicked back and pressing another kiss between her shoulder blades. Her hands slid up Emma's sides and sought out her wrists, her fingers tightly curling around the warm skin. "But right now, you are being fucked  _by_  me. Do you understand?"

Emma moaned without meaning to. She knew they'd agreed on no rough play tonight, and she knew she was still slightly tipsy, but she also knew that Regina had dragged her deep into a pit of dizzying, heated desire, and now she wanted something that only one person could give her.

She also knew that Regina would take care of her, no matter the circumstances. The warm weight of her pressing down against her back was as reassuring as it was intimidating, and Emma wriggled under it, letting her body settle into a mind set that had long become a comfort to her.

"Yes, Madam Mayor."

She could feel the satisfied curve of Regina's smile as she kissed her shoulder once more. "Good girl."

Regina sat upright, gently pulling Emma's wrists with her. When they were crossed at the small of her back, Regina held them tight with one hand, letting her nails dig into Emma's skin just slightly – the way she knew she liked it.

Shifting backwards, Regina straddled one of Emma's legs, letting her slick cunt grind over the skin more than once before she settled down. She heard Emma's sharp intake of breath.

"Can you breathe okay?" Regina asked, and Emma nodded at once. Her face was turned away from her, but Regina knew exactly what kind of desperate expression it was wearing.

Her spare hand shot out and slapped the back of Emma's other thigh, surprising her. "Answer me."

"Yes, Madam Mayor," Emma said on the edge of a gasp. Her ass lifted once more, and Regina caught a glimpse of the glistening skin between her legs.

"Good," she said, sliding her hand over her Emma's ass and squeezing hard. Emma released a slow breath, her shoulders tightening, before Regina let go and moved her hand back between her legs.

For once, there was no preamble. She didn't tease Emma or torment her until she was on the brink of tears – instead, she plunged her two longest fingers deep inside her, feeling her own body shudder with desire when Emma moaned out loud, and let them wait inside, unmoving, as Emma's muscles clenched around them.

"Are you still sure that you've come enough times tonight?" Regina asked, her voice cool and appraising.

"No," Emma gasped, every inch of her body taut and clinging onto the feeling of Regina's fingers pushing her open. "You were right."

Regina chuckled.

"Aren't I always?" she asked, slowly drawing her fingers back out. They were shimmering with Emma's arousal, and she sighed. "Oh. I really  _was_  right."

Emma moaned, her hips wriggling against the bed, before Regina slowly pushed her fingers back inside her. Emma felt a jolt of desire shooting through her and, as every nerve in her body went hot, Regina twisted her fingers slightly, letting them spread inside her. The noise this tugged out of Emma's mouth was delicious and intoxicating and Regina couldn't help but moan, her fingers pulling free and then plunging deep inside again, the warmth and wetness of the woman below her spilling all over them.

She could see Emma's shoulders beginning to tremble, her hips lifting as high off the bed as Regina's other hand would allow them, and a whole new treasure chest of filthy thoughts was upturned inside her mind: Emma tied down like this, unable to move an inch, a ball gag in her mouth just barely stopping her from moaning out loud and her saliva dripping down onto the sheets. Emma against the wall, her legs spread and her hands bound above her. Emma bent at the waist, tears of gratitude and desperation streaming down her cheeks as Regina plunged into her with a strap on. Regina moaned, grinding her own cunt harder against the back of Emma's thigh, and fucked her deeper, a third finger joining the other two and forcing Emma further open. Emma whimpered, rocking herself back against Regina's hand, and in that movement spread herself wider. Regina's mouth dried, her insides turning to molten lava.

As she fucked her harder, and Emma's desperate cries began to fill the room, Regina took a gamble. She twisted her hand at the wrist and gently placed the tip of her thumb on Emma's asshole. When she didn't shriek or stop writhing beneath her touch, she pushed slightly harder.

A low, electric moan slipped from Emma's mouth, and she buried her face back in the sheets, humiliation and a desperate, agonising need burning at her cheeks.

"Is this okay?" Regina asked, but before she'd even finished the question, Emma was nodding. It was a careless thrash of her head that told Regina that she wanted more, but for once, Regina didn't give it to her. Not because she didn't want to, but because they'd already broken more than one rule tonight. There wasn't room for her to break another.

And so she kept plunging her fingers deep into Emma's swollen cunt, letting her thumb probe between her cheeks but never delving fully inside her. Emma cried out, writhing harder against the crumpled cotton, feeling the friction against her clit beginning to send hot ribbons of electricity through her body. She could feel Regina's wet pussy sticking to her leg and she could hear the mayor's greedy moans from behind her, and every single time her fingers thrust back inside her, she edged painfully closer to a release that she wasn't sure her body was entirely prepared for.

When she began to shake, Regina pulled her fingers entirely free. But before Emma could cry out or burst into frustrated tears, she felt Regina's thumb returning to its new favourite spot, while her other hand finally released her wrists and crept underneath her trembling body to seek out her clit.

With the tip of her thumb resting firmly inside her and the flat of her palm rubbing vigorously over Emma's throbbing clit, Emma heard herself scream. She didn't register that she was coming until she felt the wetness on her painfully tensed thighs, along with a throbbing in her cunt that told her that she'd finally, finally had enough.

She scrabbled away from Regina's hands, and Regina let her go. She too was exhausted, and she fell sideways against the sheets, watching as Emma rolled onto her back and desperately tried to get her breath back.

"Please tell me you're finally counting that as five?" Emma asked after a moment, her voice wobbly with shock. Regina laughed, reaching across the bed to nudge Emma's thigh.

"I am," she said, taking a deep breath of her own. "Any more would just be greedy."

Emma snorted. "Need I remind you that this was your idea?"

"That is wildly inaccurate," Regina said, propping herself up onto one elbow. Emma's head flopped lazily to one side as she turned to look at her, eyebrows raised. "You set this ridiculous bet."

"And you turned five orgasms into six."

"Five and a half," Regina said, waving one hand dismissively. "I was rounding up."

"Well, congratulations. You rounded up so high that I can't walk anymore."

"Now, you're just trying to get out of returning the favour."

"I am not!" Emma protested, although she didn't move to prove Regina wrong. "I just need to catch my breath a bit. Jesus, Regina, give a girl a break. We can't all be as highly strung as you."

Regina laughed – she would have been offended, but the fact was that Emma didn't know how right she was. She couldn't feel just how frantically Regina's cunt was throbbing, or how fast her heart was beating, or how badly her palms were itching. Regina should have been exhausted, and she was – but she was also wired and horny and desperate to come, even if it was just the once.

She pursed her lips, taking in Emma's flushed cheeks and still-wet hair and the faint sheen of sweat on her chest. She smirked.

She could still make this work for her.

"I suppose," she said, falling onto her back once more. She could feel Emma smiling at her. "Maybe I should cut you some slack."

"Thank you," Emma said, though she already sounded suspicious.

"Not just anyone can keep up with  _this_."

There it was. At once, Emma forced herself up onto her elbows, her eyes narrowing. "Hang on a  _minute_ —"

But her sentence was cut off before it could really begin, because she caught sight of what Regina's hands were doing, and that was enough to make anyone's thoughts disappear from their head.

Regina wasn't looking at her. She wasn't looking at anything. Her eyes were closed, and her hands were gently cupping her own breasts. She was stretched out along the full width of Emma's bed, her right leg bent and accentuating the delicious curve of her ass, and when she caught her nipples between her fingers, the small gasp she released was enough to make even Emma wake up.

Sitting upright, Emma stayed where she was, her mouth dry and her gaze fixed on Regina's hands as they crept over her tan skin. Her lips parted with a sigh as her head tipped back, but her eyes still didn't open. Her fingers pinched once more on her nipples, drawing them up into hard peaks, before one hand slid gradually down her body, disappearing into the space that was hidden from Emma's view by her raised thigh.

Emma wasn't a patient person, and she barely lasted 10 seconds before she shuffled forwards. She reached out a hand and gently tapped Regina's thigh, and without opening her eyes, Regina lowered her leg down onto the bed. Emma was faced with the sight of Regina's long fingers slowly circling her clit while her other hand continued to pinch and twist at her left nipple.

With her bottom lip caught between her teeth, Emma watched the leisurely movement without interrupting. Regina knew she had her undivided attention, because she knew Emma only went truly quiet when she was engrossed in something. She didn't need to open her eyes to see the awestruck expression on the sheriff's face, or the see the hunger burning in her eyes. Her chest hitched slightly and she sighed, letting the tip of one finger slip inside her. She heard Emma suck in a breath from somewhere beside her.

The thought of Emma's seawater eyes on her only made her heart beat faster, and she plunged two fingers deep inside herself. She groaned, feeling them grinding over her tight, sensitive flesh, and kept her eyes closed, knowing the sight of Emma would only distract her. As the pleasure began to rise up inside her, she couldn't afford to think of anything else. She'd been wanting to come since the second she'd stepped into Emma's kitchen, and nothing was going to stop her now.

She pulled her slick fingers free and brushed them over her clit, whimpering at the electric contact, before thrusting them back inside herself. Then the mattress shifted beneath her, and before she could open her eyes and see what was happening, she felt Emma climb on top of her, her legs either side of Regina's waist and her hands reaching up to cup her hot cheeks.

She leaned forwards and kissed her deeply, her tongue curling through her mouth and the tip of her nose grazing against Regina's when she pulled free. It was only then that Regina looked up, and she was startled to see something dark and urgent flashing in Emma's eyes.

"Don't stop," she murmured, dipping her head once more and pressing a needy kiss against Regina's throat. Regina moaned, her fingers moving faster, as she felt Emma's mouth move downwards, skimming over her pounding chest and latching onto a hard nipple. Beneath her, Regina's entire body was trembling, her arm trapped beneath Emma's weight but her movements only getting faster. As she sucked her nipple into her mouth, Emma could feel Regina's hips rolling forwards, and she gently grasped it between her teeth before letting it spring free. Her other hand crept up and rested on Regina's throat, holding her in place.

They could both hear the frantic sighs coming from Regina's mouth, interspersed with the slick sounds coming from between her legs, and Emma moaned against her damp skin. Her grip on Regina's throat tightened, and she didn't seem to mind. Instead, Regina's spare hand crawled up and wrapped around Emma's wrist, not trying to pull it away but rather holding it in place, because the tightening of her airwaves and the feeling of Emma's possessiveness against her skin was dangerously, deliciously turning her on. She gasped, the air tumbling down her throat in bitesized pieces that made her head swim, and she felt the muscles in her cunt starting to pulsate. Her fingers were drenched, slipping almost too easily over her skin when she pulled them free and rubbed them furiously against her clit, and she held Emma's hand harder. She choked. She wanted to see stars.

Her orgasm erupted through her, tangling around her limbs like ribbons, and she threw her head back, her back lifting up off the sheets in spite of the body that was pinning her down. Her pussy continued to convulse, because it hadn't had enough and neither had she, and so she came for what felt like forever, her legs hot and weightless and her throat bruising under the grip of Emma's fingers.

When she opened her eyes, the room was bright white, and Emma was watching her with the same expression that had been on her face for the past three years: disbelief. Respect. Something that looked a little bit like reverence.

Regina let out a shuddering breath, her heart pounding, and reached up to gently stroke Emma's cheek. Emma leaned into her touch without thinking, turning her head to press a kiss against Regina's hot palm. It was a move so simple and natural that Regina didn't even realise that she should have shrunk back from it.

"Wow," she stammered, half laughing. Emma smiled back at her.

"Wow yourself," she said, gently stroking the red marks on Regina's throat. "That was all your work."

"Maybe," Regina said. She felt soft and wobbly. "I definitely don't come that hard when there isn't a very naked Emma sitting on top of me, though."

Emma laughed, tilting her head to one side. Regina's eyes immediately fell to the sway of her hair as it tumbled across one shoulder. "That's reassuring, at least."

And then she was moving, crawling backwards down the bed and disappearing from sight onto the floor. Regina felt a pair of hands slipping around her ankles and, before she could take a moment to anticipate what was coming next, she was being tugged forwards, squeaking with surprise as she moved. Emma stopped pulling as soon as her ass was level with the edge of the mattress, lifting Regina's legs and placing them firmly on her shoulders.

"Let's see how hard you can come when there's a very naked Emma between your legs then, shall we?"

Regina groaned, her head tilting backwards, and before she could prepare herself, she felt the tip of Emma's hot tongue ghosting over her pussy. Her hands delved into Emma's hair at once, clinging onto her like she was worried that she was planning on going somewhere else, as her ankles crossed over against her back.

Two of Emma's fingers were inside her in seconds, stretching and probing and reawakening every nerve in Regina's body that had gone to sleep as soon as her last orgasm her left her. She whined, lifting her hips, giving Emma better access, and then a third finger was inside her, pushing firmly and making her entire body light up with a fire that only Emma could bring out in her. The walls of her cunt were squeezing desperately around her, begging for more, and luckily Emma wasn't in the mood for playing games tonight, because she gave it to her at once. She rose up onto her knees, bringing Regina's hips up with her, and planted her tongue firmly on Regina's clit, soaking up the way she cried out. The grip on her hair was deathly tight, and Emma didn't care at all. She pressed herself harder against the crown of Regina's legs, driving her fingers in as deep as they would go, her cunt throbbing all over again as Regina whined and panted and wriggled beneath her.

"Emma," Regina gasped out, and it was hands down Emma's favourite sound in the world. She moaned against Regina's damp skin, even now drowning under her spell, and plunged her fingers back inside her. She caught Regina's clit between her lips and when she sucked, she felt Regina's entire body go rigid and pleading beneath her fingers.

" _Emma_."

Emma's tongue began to messily, desperately lap over Regina's throbbing clit, her fingers fucking her harder and faster. She could feel Regina's heels digging into the tender space between her shoulder blades, and she could feel the burn of her nails cutting into her scalp. It was excruciating and it was perfect, and she fucked her harder, willing her to hold on tighter, to scream out loud and bring the entire house down.

When Regina's body began to arc up, curving away from the mattress, Emma lifted her eyes and watched her. She was breathtaking when she came, and right then, as her release peaked and came crashing down on her tightly wound body like a flood of water, Emma blinked, her eyes prickling with something she didn't recognise. Her heart was pounding a little too hard.

She didn't want to stop looking at Regina. Not then, and not ever.

She was so lost in her reverie that she didn't realise her fingers were still moving, and after a moment Regina reached down with a gasp, pushing her away.

Emma fell back onto her heels, her breath caught in her throat. She could taste Regina all over her lips.

Regina lay back, her eyes closed, struggling to regain control of her breathing. Every muscle in her body had gone lax, and as much as she wanted to lift her head and tell Emma to come and join her, she couldn't. Stars were buzzing inside her skull, and she needed a moment to sift through them.

Eventually, she forced herself up onto one elbow, half expecting Emma to already be lying down next to her. She wasn't – instead, she was still kneeling on the floor, her brow crumpled and her cheeks slightly pink.

"Emma?" Regina asked, and Emma blinked like she'd forgotten where she was. "Are you waiting for permission to come up here?"

Emma hesitated. That wasn't the reason, but it was as good as any. It was sure as hell a lot easier to vocalise.

"Yeah," she said, trying to laugh. She climbed to her feet, surprised by how shaky her legs were, and sat down on the edge of the mattress. "Sorry. I've got into the habit, I guess."

Regina's laugh was low and chocolaty, and Emma closed her eyes, trying to steady herself.

Then the mattress was dipping behind her, and she shivered when she felt a pair of arms sliding around her neck.

"That was amazing," Regina murmured, her mouth hot against Emma's ear. Emma could smell her – the sweat and the perfume and something else that just smelled like Regina, even though it had no name – and she drank it in, her head falling back against Regina's shoulder.

"It really was," Emma replied. Her heart clenched when Regina pressed a kiss against her cheek.

"Thank you," Regina said, not pulling away. Her nose and mouth were pressed against Emma's face, her arms tight around her shoulders like this was the most natural pose in the world.

Somewhere deep inside her chest, Emma's heart was waking up from a sleep that had lasted for much longer than she'd realised.

"Right back at you," she said quietly, her hands reaching up to hold onto Regina's wrists. She knew she would go home soon, because that was their agreement, and if she had to say goodbye to her then at least she would cling onto this feeling for just a little bit longer.

They stayed like that, quietly sitting, their bodies warm and sticky and soft. Emma felt her jaw tremble.

She leaned back into Regina, naturally drawn to her, like she always had been. Regina had a small smile on her lips as she enjoyed the feeling of holding her for just a few moments longer, before she had to go back to her own bed alone. 


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N:_ ** _Hi all!!!! Sorry for the extremely long wait for this chapter – some of you will have noticed that I started writing and publishing a new fic, which has kind of taken my attention away from everything else. I hope this is good enough to make up for the massive delay._

_When I started writing Wicked Games, it was only meant to be one chapter – I keep just writing new chapters when I think of them, which means I have no idea how long it will actually end up being. I have a little bit more planned for it though! I hope you enjoy x_

* * *

** Chapter five **

Emma could always tell when Regina was approaching her office. It wasn’t a new trick that she’d picked up since they’d started sleeping together – back when she’d barely been in Storybrooke for a month and had found herself working alongside Graham, she had already been able to tell when the strong-stepped tapping on the floor outside was coming from Regina’s perilously high shoes and when it wasn’t.

What _was_ new, however, was the nervous fluttering in her stomach that accompanied the sound. When Emma heard it, she immediately straightened up in her chair, brushing some imaginary lint from her shirt. She glanced around her office and cursed herself for not keeping it tidier.

But then Regina was in the doorway and all she could do was look up and smile and try not to blush too hard. “Oh. Hey.”

“Hello,” Regina said, stepping into the room. Her eyes never left Emma’s face, and it was one of Emma’s favourite things about her – the way she looked at her like nothing else was important. “Is now a bad time?”

“No, no,” Emma said. She gestured to the papers that were spread out in front of her. “Just a standard day in hell.”

Regina laughed, a short burst of air from inside her nose, and perched herself on the edge of Emma’s desk. “Where’s David?”

“Out on patrol,” Emma said, her eyes automatically slipping down Regina body. Her legs were neatly crossed with a good deal of thigh showing from beneath her black skirt, and Emma couldn’t help but stare a little bit. “I think he keeps volunteering to do it so he can take naps in the back of the cruiser. Baby bro isn’t such a good sleeper, from what I hear.”

Regina grimaced involuntarily. “I don’t envy them that. Henry was a nightmare at that age.”

“Yeah. Well,” Emma said, looking back down at the desk. “I wouldn’t know about that.”

Her voice had gone quiet, and as that usually only meant she was either tired or sad, Regina quickly changed the subject. “And are you okay on your own, without your deputy?”

Emma laughed at this. “My deputy isn’t much help, to be perfectly honest. He’s the only person in town less qualified for this job than I am.”

“Oh, that’s reassuring.”

“Hey, I do a pretty good job, all things considered,” Emma said. Her protest was somewhat undermined by the fact that her eyes kept flicking down to look at Regina’s legs, and so Regina just smirked.

“Anyway,” Emma said, shrugging. “It’s a quiet day.”

She paused then, seemingly only just noticing how true this was. Turning her head towards the hallway, she frowned, listening out for any kind of noise from the dozens of other people who worked on that floor. There was nothing, and her eyes narrowed.

“Really quiet, actually.”

“Strange,” Regina said, her voice light, as she hopped back down from the desk. “Anyway, I should probably leave you to get on with your work.”

Emma blinked up at her. “Really?”

“Yes,” Regina said, casually adjusting the strap of her watch. “I just came by to ask for some paperwork from you.”

Emma’s eyes immediately got narrower. “Paperwork?”

“Yes,” Regina repeated, looking up at her and lifting her eyebrows, full of expectation. “I need your report on the faulty burglar alarm in the library. It seems like something I should probably get fixed.”

Emma was overcome with a mixture of confusion and disappointment, but she forced herself to her feet. She walked over to the other side of the room and, without a word, opened the top drawer of a filing cabinet and began to rummage around inside.

The moment her back was turned, Regina reached across the desk and slipped her index finger through the cold metal of Emma’s handcuffs. With them dangling from her hand, she quietly crossed the room, her eyes fixed on the jut of Emma’s shoulder blades beneath her green button-down shirt.

If Emma had heard her approaching, she didn’t show it. She had a file in her hands and was looking down at it, her lips moving as she silently read through the first paragraph to make sure she had the right one. She only seemed to register Regina’s presence when a hand reached over her shoulder and slowly closed the drawer that she had left open.

Emma blinked, her nose suddenly filling with Regina’s perfume and her entire body prickling from the feeling of her standing just inches away. She went completely still.

When she felt Regina press the full length of her body against her back, burying her nose into her thick curls, all of her breath shuddered from her body. She put one hand out, steadying herself against the cabinet, and let her eyes close as she soaked up the feeling of Regina’s hands slowly ghosting up her back, over her shoulders, and down her arms. She could feel her warm breath on her neck. She wanted to sigh out loud, but she was all too aware of where they were and who might hear them, so she clamped her lips together, holding her breath, waiting for Regina to take the paperwork from her loosely flapping hand and then saunter out the room altogether.

The hands that were gliding down her arms suddenly paused, latching onto her wrists. Then Emma felt them being yanked backwards, and she was thrust against the cabinet with a crash.

She yelped, not registering the feeling of metal on her wrists until it was too late. When something tightened against her skin, cold and harsh, she wriggled, trying to pull free. Regina was quicker than her, and before Emma could wrench herself away, there was a click.

“Regina,” Emma spluttered, trying to turn around. A hand on her shoulder pushed her back, her face and chest flush against the cabinet. Her secured hands were caught between their bodies. “What are you doing?”

“Be quiet,” Regina said, her voice low and calm. She pressed herself up against Emma’s body, absorbing the feel and the smell of her. She could bury herself in Emma’s curls and happily live there for the rest of her life.

“Someone could walk in,” Emma said, but Regina ignored her. Her hands were creeping round Emma’s waist, pulling her tight against her body, before they slipped down to her jeans. When they unpopped the button, Emma tried harder to wriggle free. “Regina!”

“Stop it,” Regina snapped, shoving Emma more firmly against the cabinet. She always loved the way she gasped. “Don’t talk to me like that.”

“But—”

“Shut up this second, Miss Swan,” Regina said, her voice cool and controlling and full of a warning that Emma had a hard time resisting. “No one is coming in here.”

“You left the door open!”

“Shut up,” Regina spat, reaching down between them and fiercely smacking Emma’s ass. It didn’t have the same effect when she was still in her jeans, but the point got across. She went quiet, her shoulders still tensed.

Regina took a step back and walked across to the other side of the room. Emma watched her over her shoulder, expecting her to go and lock the door. Instead, she simply peeled off her coat, dusting it off before hanging it on the rack in the opposite corner of the office.

When she turned back, her eyes were dark and blazing. Emma swallowed.

“Turn around.”

After a beat, Emma did as she was told. She leaned back against the cabinet, the metal of her handcuffs clattering against the drawers, and willed her heart to slow down. Regina was advancing on her with long, slow steps, and there was a flash of desire in her eyes that Emma had always been powerless to resist.

“Now, Miss Swan,” Regina purred, stepping in front of her. “Are you going to behave?”

Emma’s eyes flicked towards the door once more, the silence in the building making her nerves dance. “I—”

“No one is coming in here,” Regina said, learning into Emma’s ear. Her touch was gentler now, and the smell of her perfume was dizzying. “Can you trust me on that?”

Emma hesitated. She trusted Regina more than she trusted anyone else in the world, but there was something about this that still made her stomach knot.

Regina felt the pause like a weight on her shoulders and pulled back, her gaze softening. “Emma. I promise you. Please trust me.”

Emma frowned, taking in the sincerity in Regina’s face. Finally some of the tension left her body.

“Okay,” she said quietly, pressing her lips together. At once, Regina’s eyes glittered.

“What colour, Miss Swan?” Regina asked, and it was a question that always grounded her. It made her feel like nothing could possibly hurt her – not when Regina’s hands were holding her.

“Green,” she said, surprised by how levelly she managed to say that one word. Inside, her heart was pattering and her stomach felt like it was hitched several inches above its normal resting place.

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” Emma said. She took a deep breath. “But if my dad walks in on us, I’m going to kill you.”

Regina laughed her usual deep, fruity chuckle, and pressed her lips against Emma’s. As Emma thudded back against the cabinet once more, the clatter of metal on metal reminded Regina of why she was there. She pulled away with a smirk.

“You never answered my question,” she said softly, her hands sliding down from Emma’s shoulders and gently cupping her breasts. “Are you going to behave?”

There was the most delicious tremor in Emma’s voice when she replied, “Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“Good,” Regina said, slowly undoing the first button on Emma’s shirt. Emma took a breath, leaning her head back against the cabinet. “Is that because this has been a fantasy of yours for a while?”

Emma sucked in her cheeks, hating Regina for how right she was. She didn’t respond, and Regina chuckled.

“I remember every word of what you told me about this,” she said, her voice soft as she undid a second button. The cold air licked at Emma’s skin as it was exposed, and she told herself that was why every inch of her body was covered in goose pimples. “I know that you’ve touched yourself thinking about this. I know how badly you want it.”

Emma still didn’t reply, and her breathing was coming in short bursts now. Regina leaned into her exposed throat and sucked, creating a dark smear on her skin that looked like a blotch of ink. Emma shivered, her wrists clattering against the cabinet.

“Are you even going to try and pretend that you’re not getting wet?” Regina asked conversationally, and Emma couldn’t help but moan. At once a hand shot up, grabbing hold of her cheeks with iron fingers.

“Be quiet,” Regina murmured, watching as Emma tried to blink away the surprise. “Just because no one is coming in here doesn’t mean I want the whole building to hear you.”

“I’m sorry,” Emma whispered from between Regina’s fingers, and she sounded so sincere that Regina found herself wanting to forgive her.

Letting go of her face, Regina reached back down and snapped open the next four buttons on Emma’s shirt in quick succession. She left it flapping open, her heart clenching when Emma didn’t even look down: her eyes stayed on Regina’s face, watery and unblinking.

A flicker of a smile crossed Regina’s face. She loved it when Emma did as she was told – but part of her also hated it when she didn’t react at all.

She reached out and grabbed the cups of Emma’s bra, yanking them down hard. Emma gasped, the cold air creeping over her flesh. She was facing the door and if anyone walked past, they would see her there, breasts hanging out of her open shirt, her cheeks red from shame and desire. Everything about this was twisted and terrifying and she so desperately wanted to say ‘red’, to make the fear go away, but her treacherous body wouldn’t allow it. Because Regina had been right – she did want this. It had been her very first fantasy about the town’s terrifying mayor, and every single nerve in her body was tingling at the prospect of it coming true.

She choked on the air in her throat as Regina’s hands slid over her breasts, pinching her nipples with a slow, building pressure.

“Is this what you want?” Regina asked coolly, standing tall above her as Emma began to shrink down against the cabinet. Emma nodded.

“Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“Tell me again what colour you’re at,” Regina said, her voice slipping an octave.

“Green.”

“Well then,” she said, sliding a hand slowly back up Emma’s body and fisting it in her hair. “Why don’t you _act like it_?”

Emma gasped as Regina’s fingers tightened against her scalp. The sharp pain sent shockwaves of desire down her spine and she clamped her thighs together, knowing full well that the moment she pulled them apart, her slowly building wetness would spill out.

She leaned into Regina’s touch and allowed herself to be dragged away from the filing cabinet and towards the desk. Regina calmly perched herself on the edge of it, tugging Emma towards her, and kissed her deeply, her tongue sliding messily into her mouth like she was too lazy to do it properly. Emma felt her knees buckle. She loved it when Regina acted disinterested like this, even when the fact that she was in that room at all completely contradicted her apparent apathy. The mere thought that she was only there touching her like this because she was bored and Emma was a conveniently located plaything made her pulse double in speed.

A hand slid up to her shoulder and Emma felt a sudden pressure pushing down on her. Regina pulled back from her lips and muttered, “Get on your knees.”

Emma dropped to the floor, clenching her fists behind her. Her gaze never left Regina’s face.

In her new position, she was invisible from the doorway. If anyone walked past, they would see the mayor perched on the edge of the desk, her back to them – which would be unusual, sure, but at least they wouldn’t get a glimpse of who was currently kneeling between her legs.

Emma had told Regina that she trusted her, and she did, but now she finally felt a pang of relief inside her chest. She straightened her shoulders and waited patiently for her next order to come.

Regina saw the change in expression on her face and reached out to cup her cheek. “Do you feel better?”

“Much,” Emma said. “Thank you.”

“Are you going to do something to repay me?”

Emma was already nodding. “Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“Good girl,” Regina said, releasing her face and reaching down for the bottom of her skirt. She smiled at Emma’s sharp intake of breath when she started to pull it up.

That gasp turned into a low moan when Emma realised that Regina wasn’t wearing any panties underneath. Her mouth went dry, and as much as she longed to bury her face between Regina’s spread thighs, she forced herself not to. She hadn’t been given permission yet.

Regina smirked down at her. “You’re getting very good at this.”

Emma swallowed hard before she said, “Thank you.” Her voice sounded rusty.

“How long do you think you’ll be able to wait?” Regina asked, her hand reaching out to stroke Emma’s hair. Emma’s nipples had gone hard and Regina could see her wriggling as she fought against the discomfort in her jeans.

“As long as you want me to, Madam Mayor,” Emma said, but she was lying and they both knew it. Regina could hear the tremble in her voice.

“I doubt that,” Regina said, her fingers lacing through her hair and gently scratching at her scalp. “Thankfully, though, I don’t have any plans to make you wait today.”

Emma looked longingly up at her, and then the hand on the back of her head was knotting through her hair, tugging her forwards. Emma moaned as her mouth made contact with Regina’s cunt, which was already wet and hot against her tongue.

“Eat it,” Regina told her, though she didn’t have to bother. Emma was already at work, her mouth closing over Regina’s clit and her eyes fluttering shut. As much as she loved having her hands bound, she wished she could pull herself free right then. She wanted to slide her fingers deep inside Regina and fuck her until she was screaming.

But Regina was already sighing happily, her right hand gripping hold of Emma’s hair and her left curled around the edge of the desk. She ground her pussy forwards against Emma’s mouth and let her head tip back. Emma was surprised by how soaked she was, but then she realised that Regina must have spent the whole morning in her office dreaming up this wicked plan. She had been desperately turned on before she’d even walked through the door.

A moan slipped out of Emma’s mouth without her meaning it to, and she felt Regina’s grip on her hair tighten. Emma didn’t let it distract her – her tongue was busy tormenting Regina’s cunt with long, leisurely strokes that were pulling her towards her release oh so slowly, inch by inch. She could feel Regina’s hips canting towards her face, and she didn’t let herself pause. She opened her eyes so she could watch the way Regina had leaned back over the desk, one arm holding her up as her head fell backwards.

She came with a cry that echoed down the silent hall, and Emma tensed up automatically. Her tongue stayed on Regina’s clit even so, lovingly covering it and grating against it until Regina’s fist was pulling her away and pushing her back onto the floor.

Emma collapsed back on her heels, breathing heavily. There was a furious pounding in her chest that half came from the fear of being caught and half from the sheer, hot-blooded excitement of wishing they would be.

She looked up to find Regina running a hand through her hair, trying to regain her composure. There was a dark flush in her cheeks and her lower lip was slightly swollen from where she’d bitten down on it.

After a minute, she pushed herself forward and looked directly into Emma’s breathless face. When she leaned forward, Emma got a glimpse down the front of her shirt. She wasn’t wearing a bra either.

Holding back of her moan of longing, Emma forced herself to wait where she was. Her breasts were still falling out of her shirt and were aching to be touched, and the pounding between her legs was starting to scramble her thoughts. Regina seemed to realise this and spread her legs wider for just a second, her eyes flashing when Emma whimpered, before she got to her feet. Pulling her skirt back down with one quick tug, she took a step forwards and crouched to cup Emma’s chin.

“You’re all wet,” she said softly, and before Emma could ask how she knew what was going on inside her panties, Regina dipped her head and kissed the taste of herself off of Emma’s wet mouth. There was plenty of Regina’s taste smeared around her lips and on her chin too, and Regina let her tongue flick out to clean it up. Emma squirmed beneath her touch, and Regina’s grip on her jaw got tighter.

“Are you being impatient?” she asked quietly.

“I’m trying not to be,” Emma replied. “But it’s hard.”

“Why?” Regina asked. Her voice was soft, and it filled Emma with the best kind of nerves.

“Because I really want you to touch me, Madam Mayor. I’m sorry.”

Regina’s lip quirked upwards at the unprompted apology. “That’s funny. 10 minutes ago you were telling me to stop.”

Emma didn’t know how to respond to that, so she just looked pleadingly into Regina’s eyes. With a scoff, Regina said, “Get up.”

Emma began to struggle to her feet, the pressure on her chin helping her to clamber upright. Regina rose with her, never letting go of her face or taking her eyes off of her. When Emma was finally standing, she smiled briefly.

“Very good.”

There was a pause, and then Emma gasped as she felt herself being shoved towards the desk. Her thighs hit the wooden edge hard enough to make a bruise blossom, but before she could focus on the pain, a hand was on the back of her neck, forcing her to bend over.

Regina pushed her down onto the desk and held her face firm against the papers she’d been working on earlier. Emma whimpered, feeling the ink sticking to her cheek, but Regina’s grip on her neck didn’t lessen.

“Don’t make a noise,” she muttered. “And don’t move.”

Her spare hand reached down for Emma’s unbuttoned jeans and shoved them roughly down her thighs. Emma felt her face burn as her ass was exposed to the cold room. She wriggled automatically, and at once an unforgiving palm came down against her skin.

The sound of Regina’s hand slapping against the back of her thigh cracked through the room and Emma gasped, screwing her eyes shut. Her naked breasts were squashed against the desk and the roughness of the wood against her nipples was agonising. Ahead of her, the door was wide open and there was no hiding anymore. If someone came down the hall, the very first thing they would see was her, bent over her desk with her lip caught between her teeth and frustrated tears prickling at her eyes.

But she didn’t even care anymore. Her cunt was throbbing and she wanted Regina to fuck her as hard and as violently as she dared.

Regina slapped her ass again before leaning over her, pressing her mouth against Emma’s ear. “Is this what you fantasised about, Miss Swan?”

She already knew from Emma’s anxious whimpers that this was everything she’d dreamed of and more, but she wanted to hear her say it. She wanted to hear her choking back tears as she admitted that she’d wanted her to fuck her this way for years.

Emma pressed her nose hard against the desk and murmured, “Yes, Madam Mayor.”

Regina spanked her again, loving the way she gasped. “That wasn’t convincing enough. Try again.”

“Yes, Madam Mayor,” Emma repeated slightly louder. She could hear her own desperation echoing through the room. “This is what I fantasised about.”

“If I pull these panties down, are you going to be wet for me?” Regina’s fingers plucked at the fabric of Emma’s thong as she spoke, and Emma immediately ground her hips forward against the edge of the desk.

“ _Yes_ , Madam Mayor.”

“Stop fidgeting,” Regina snapped at once, slapping her again across the now-pink skin of her ass. “You need to show more patience.”

“I'm sorry, Madam Mayor,” Emma said, forcing her body to go still. She clenched her fists behind her and immediately heard Regina chuckle.

“Tell me what you want me to do to you.”

Emma breathed out hard enough to knock some of her paperwork to the floor. “I want you to fuck me.”

“More specific, please. Do you want me to use my fingers?”

“Yes.”

“What about your nightstick?” Regina asked, and Emma released a low, fraught moan. “I bet you’d love it if I took you with that.”

“I... I hadn’t thought about it,” Emma gasped. She could feel her wetness starting to gather in her panties and it was excruciating, like an itch that Regina was refusing to scratch for her.

“But you would like it. Wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, Madam Mayor,” Emma moaned. “I would.”

A hand suddenly slipped between her legs and pressed her wet panties hard against her cunt. “Do you have it in your office?”

Emma couldn’t think. The throbbing between her legs was only getting worse. “I don’t know... I don’t wear my uniform very often.”

“Don’t I know it,” Regina said dryly, just a hint of the town’s irritated mayor slipping through her words. She cupped Emma’s pussy harder. “Where would it be?”

Grinding her hips back against Regina’s fingers, Emma blurted out, “I don’t know, I don’t know.”

“Think harder.”

“I— Try the bottom drawer.”

She could have cried when Regina pulled away from her, going in search of the illusive object that had suddenly become the most important thing in the world to both of them. Emma pressed her forehead against the desk and tried to get her breathing under control. The handcuffs were digging into her wrists, and the twinge of pain sent a brand new wave of pleasure flooding down to her pussy.

She could hear Regina moving around beside her, and then suddenly a hand was clasped over her bound wrists. Emma bit her lip and waited.

When she felt something hard and smooth being pressed between her legs, she could have cried. “Oh, _God_.”

“Do you want this?” Regina purred.

“Yes, _yes_ ,” Emma gabbled, pushing herself back against it. The cold plastic ground against her wet panties and she desperately wanted to spread her legs for it, but the tight material of her jeans was still binding her thighs together. She realised then that Regina had done it on purpose.

Regina kept sliding the nightstick back and forth between her legs, pressing it hard against her cunt but never letting it slip beneath her panties. She didn’t stop Emma from wriggling now – she was encouraging it, in fact, her spare hand holding her wrists in place but her voice gently encouraging the agitated rolling of her pelvis. Emma whimpered, wordlessly pleading with Regina to plunge it deep inside her and fuck her senseless with it, but refusing to say it out loud in case that was the very thing that would stop her from doing it.

Then the object was gone altogether, and Emma howled. “No, _please_.”

“Calm down, Miss Swan,” Regina said coolly. She sounded far too pleased with herself. “I’m just taking precautions.”

Emma had no idea what that meant, but then she heard a familiar wrinkle of foil. She took a deep breath and asked, “You brought a condom?”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“Because I wasn’t going to leave here until I’d fucked you with one very hard object or another,” Regina said simply, and Emma moaned into her paperwork.

A hand suddenly yanked her panties down, leaving them midway down her thighs with the crumpled remains of her jeans, and then the nightstick was back between her legs. Emma could feel the slippery lube coating it and she ground back automatically, desperate to feel it inside her.

“Slow down,” Regina scolded, her grip tightening on Emma’s wrists. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Emma half laughed as she said, “I thought you always wanted to hurt me.”

The breath of laughter that came from behind her was almost as dizzying as the feeling of the plastic stick pushing gently against her entrance. “True. But I have other ways of doing that.”

Before Emma could ask what those were, Regina quickly slapped her across one asscheek and then the other. As Emma gasped and rocked up onto the balls of her feet, Regina slid the nightstick ever so slowly inside her.

A hiss of breath escaped from between Emma’s teeth as she moaned, “Fu- _uck_.”

“What colour, Emma?”

Emma was too busy sticking her ass in the air, willing Regina to push it deeper, to answer. When she didn’t receive a response, Regina slapped her hard across the back of her thigh and repeated the question. “What _colour_?”

“Green, green, green,” Emma gabbled, wishing she had another colour that meant _go fucking faster I need more and I need it now_.

Regina chuckled, easing it in another inch. It was rock solid against Emma’s desperately squeezing muscles and it should have hurt, but all Emma could think about was the satisfying burn of her cunt stretching around it and how fucking good it felt to have Regina inside her like this at long last.

“More?” she asked, and Emma nodded frantically.

“Yes, _yes_ , please.”

“Please what?”

“Please, Madam Mayor.”

Regina slid it further inside and Emma gasped as it filled her up. It was the filthiest, most fantastic sensation in the world, and all she could do to express that fact was to garble incoherently, her face pressed hard against the desk.

“Do you want me to fuck you properly?” Regina asked, and Emma was nodding before she’d even finished the question.

“Please,” she whimpered, trying to arch further back against the stick. Regina’s grip on her wrists stopped her.

“Not too far,” she warned, waiting for Emma to stop wriggling. “This is enough.”

“No, it’s not,” Emma whined, immediately receiving a vicious slap across the ass for her complaining.

“I say it’s enough,” Regina snapped, slowly pulling it back out of her. The sensation sent red-hot desire sparking through Emma’s entire body and she suddenly knew she was close to bursting into tears. “Don’t disagree with me.”

“I’m sorry, Madam Mayor,” Emma replied, but the nightstick kept pulling out of her. “Please, please. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“For disagreeing with you.”

“Apology not accepted. You’re being a brat,” Regina said. The nightstick was nearly entirely out of Emma’s pussy now, but Regina didn’t pull it completely free. She left two inches inside her, knowing full well that it would be a hundred times more frustrating than having nothing inside her at all. “You know how I feel about you being bratty.”

Emma groaned, trying desperately to rock back and take more of the baton inside her, but Regina held her firm.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, hoping sincerity would be enough to earn her forgiveness. Regina just scoffed.

“I don’t care if you’re sorry. You need to be punished.”

A shiver of excitement shot through Emma’s body in spite of her disappointment, but before Regina could make good on her filthy little promise, they were interrupted.

The shrill sound of the phone ringing made them both jump. Emma exhaled heavily, wondering if Regina would keep going like it wasn’t happening or whether she’d make her wait until the noise had stopped. She was surprised and horrified when instead, Regina asked her, “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

Emma tried to look round at her, but her face was still crushed against the desk. “I... what?”

“It’s rude to leave people waiting,” Regina said coolly, and Emma’s entire chest constricted when she saw her reaching out to pick up the phone.

“No, wait—”

But it was too late. Regina had picked it up and pressed down on the speakerphone button. They could both hear someone waiting at the other end.

Emma took a breath and said, “Hello?” Her voice was shaking. Behind her, Regina laughed.

“Is this Emma Swan?” a man’s voice asked, and Emma wanted to scream back at him.

“Yes,” she choked out instead. Regina slapped her sharply across the back of her thigh, and she forced herself not to shriek. “How... How can I help?”

“Ms Swan, I’m calling from Granger and Co office supplies. I was wondering if you had a moment to discuss your stationery needs.”

Emma let her forehead thud back down to the desk. “No, I’m afraid I don’t.”

“Actually,” Regina spoke up from behind her. “We were discussing your _needs_ just the other day. I think you should take the call.”

Emma glared back at her. “But we’re in a meeting, _Madam Mayor_.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” Regina said, rubbing a hand leisurely over Emma’s backside. “I’ll keep myself busy while you talk.”

This was her punishment, and there wasn’t anything Emma could do to stop it happening. There wasn’t anything she _wanted_ to do – she could have safeworded if she’d really needed to, but the desire wasn’t there. In spite of the humiliation that was rising up inside her, Emma wanted to see this through almost as much as Regina did.

She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. “Sure. Go ahead.”

As the man began to witter on about toner levels, Regina’s hands went back to the nightstick, which was still buried between Emma’s legs. She began to slowly move it back and forth, letting it press hard against Emma’s walls as she ground it inside her. Emma trembled, her fists clenching against the small of her back, but she didn’t make a sound. She was determined to win this round, even if she’d never managed to win one before.

“Were you interested in hearing some more about the types of ink we offer?” the man asked, and Emma groaned to herself.

“Sure,” she said, her voice hitching when the stick was thrust back inside her once more. She could feel the sticky hilt of Regina’s hand pressed up against her cunt and she so badly wanted to rock back against it.

Then her other hand smoothed over her left ass cheek, gently rubbing a circle, before slapping down hard. Really hard. Emma gasped, her back arching off the desk. Down the other end of the line, the man paused.

“Is everything okay?”

“Y-yes,” Emma hissed out from between her teeth. Regina spanked her again. “Sorry. I, err. Dropped something.”

“Right. Anyway, as I was saying...”

He carried on, and Regina spanked Emma harder and harder, not caring that the ringing slaps could almost certainly be heard down the line. Emma wriggled, the baton buried deep in her cunt and starting to make her muscles burn. She forced herself not to whimper. She could feel her wetness squeezing over Regina’s fingers and dripping down onto her bunched-up jeans, and she tried to focus on anything – _anything_ else – in the whole world.

“What kind of printer do you have at the moment?” the man asked. Regina’s hand slid round to her front and crawled between her legs.

“I’m not sure, a— _oh_. Um, a Lexmark, I think.”

Regina chuckled, her fingers seeking out Emma’s clit and gradually starting to circle. Her right hand began to pump more evenly, the baton driving in and out of her in a slow, steady rhythm. Emma moaned softly, wetness seeping down the insides of her thighs, and tried desperately to focus on what the man was saying to her. It was impossible – stars were filling her skull, and she could feel herself starting to tremble.

“I think— oh, _God_. I think I’m going to have to get you to call back,” she stammered, and she heard him tut.

“But I haven’t even told you about the—”

“Please,” she moaned, and she wasn’t really talking to him. She dug her fingernails into her palms. “Can you call— can you call again tomorrow?”

The man sighed. “Fine. Maybe you’ll be less distracted then.”

He hung up with a clatter, and finally Emma howled out loud, her orgasm washing over her like sweet, sticky water. The dull hum of the dead phone line rang out through the room as her muscles squeezed against the nightstick inside her, her breathing coming out in sharp bursts. Regina was laughing, and that only made her come harder.

A set of torturous fingers kept working over her clit until Emma started to scrabble away, banging her hips against the desk in the process. Regina tutted and finally let her go.

“That might have been my finest punishment yet,” she said, pulling the nightstick free. Emma whimpered as it moved, her pussy still tender and fluttering.

Regina dropped the baton to the desk with a crash, making sure it was in Emma’s eye line. Emma moaned at the sight of it – it was glimmering with her wetness, and it was bigger than she’d remembered. No wonder her pussy felt so fucking fragile.

Finally putting the phone back on its receiver, Regina asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Emma replied. “Just a bit breathless.”

She could tell that Regina was smirking at her without looking around. “Oh dear. That wasn’t my intention at all.”

Emma just laughed, because she didn’t have the energy left to do anything else. She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, gently easing her upright.

“Are you sore?” Regina asked, running a hand down her aching spine.

“A little. Can I sit?”

“Sure,” Regina said, first pulling Emma’s panties and jeans back up before guiding her over to her desk chair. She left her hands bound, however, and Emma didn’t ask why. Her shoulders and back might be hurting, but that didn’t mean she was ready to stop yet.

Emma sat down, her cuffed hands wedged behind her and her unbuttoned jeans pressing uncomfortably against her wet pussy. As soon as she was settled, Regina perched herself on the desk directly in front of her.

“Green?” she asked. Emma nodded at once, and she was rewarded with a wry smile.

“Good,” Regina said, crossing her legs. “Tell me. Was that what you imagined?”

Emma sighed longingly. “Yes. It was everything I wanted.”

“I have to say that I enjoyed it too,” Regina mused. She turned her head and picked up the nightstick once more, removing the condom and tossing it into the trashcan. “You looked so beautiful with your cunt stretched around this.”

Emma wetted her lips, unable to take her eyes off it. “Thank you.”

“I’d like to fuck you with a strap-on,” Regina said, and she spoke so conversationally that it took Emma a moment to register her own shock.

“Have you got one?” she stammered.

“Perhaps,” Regina said, swinging the baton in front of her. “Would you like that?”

Forcing herself not to moan, Emma said, “Yes, I would.”

“I’m not surprised,” Regina remarked, and Emma clenched her thighs together automatically. “I bet you’d let me do it right now if I could, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes,” Emma whispered. She could feel her wetness growing all over again.

“Well. As much as I’d like that,” Regina sighed, uncrossing her legs once more. “I’m afraid it will have to wait.”

Emma nodded. “Next time?”

“You’re a greedy girl,” Regina chuckled, lifting one leg and placing her foot on the edge of Emma’s seat. Emma glanced down – her skirt was still hiding her pussy from view, but only just. “Yes, Miss Swan. I’ll make sure of it.”

Emma nodded frantically. “Thank you.”

“You’re thanking me for things that haven’t even happened yet?” Regina asked, and then her other foot was lifting up, resting on the other side of Emma’s tightly clenched thighs. “You’re more eager than I thought.”

She reached down and tugged her skirt up, letting Emma see just how wet she was beneath it. Swallowing hard, Emma forced herself to look back up at her face again.

The nightstick was still dangling from Regina’s fingers, and even though Emma knew what she was going to do next, it did nothing to prepare her for the sight of it. Regina slowly dropped it between her legs, never breaking eye contact, and dragged the length of it along her cunt. She sighed out loud, her head tipping back just slightly. When Emma looked down, the stick was shimmering.

Regina slid it back down again, making sure the very tip of it settled between her folds for a second, before lifting it back up between their faces. Emma whimpered, its glistening surface making her blood go hot.

“Open your mouth,” Regina murmured. Emma did as she was told at once, and she let Regina slide it between her lips. Closing her mouth around it, Emma drank in the taste of her. Regina pushed it deeper, watching the way she took it in her mouth with fascination in her hungry eyes, and then gently pulled it free. It was gleaming with Emma’s saliva, and she immediately pushed it back between her legs, not taking it inside her but letting her pussy grind up and down the side of it like a woman depraved.

“I wish you could do this to me,” she sighed, her voice low. “I can’t think of anything more satisfying than being fucked by you.”

“I can try,” Emma said, her voice trembling. “If you let my hands go.”

Regina pretended to consider it. She was rocking harder now, her pelvis crushed up against the plastic.

“But I’m having such a good time without you,” she said eventually, her voice catching. She suddenly dropped the stick with a clatter, replacing it with her fingers. They plunged deep inside her and her head fell backwards, her frantic pulse visible through the stretched-out skin on her throat.

Emma collapsed back and watched as she fucked herself, three of her fingers burying themselves deep between her legs as the palm of her hand ground against her clit. Regina was gasping and writhing on the edge of the desk, her spread thighs trembling, and Emma could feel tears rising in her throat. Being so close but so far from it was physically painful, and it was nearly impossible not to fall forwards and push her face back between Regina’s legs, her stupid rules be damned.

But she forced herself not to, because the sight of Regina desperately grinding in front of her was the stuff dreams were made of, and if Emma interrupted it she would never forgive herself. She wanted to remember this forever, and so she sat back, breathing hard, her eyes snapping from Regina’s cunt to her face and back again because she couldn’t decide which part was more mesmerising.

When Regina came, she cried out loud, her spare hand gripping hold of the edge of the desk. She crumpled forwards, her soaked fingers going still, and took a deep breath. Her eyes were closed, and her face was inches away from Emma’s.

When she looked up, Emma’s eyes were glistening. There was a fierce jut to her jaw that told Regina just how much she wanted her.

She smirked and pulled her fingers free, lifting them to Emma’s lips. Emma took them in her mouth at once, slowly curling her tongue around each one of them, drinking in the taste that was smeared all across them and making sure Regina knew that her moans were for her and her alone.

When Regina pulled her fingers free, she was smiling. “Good girl.”

Emma smiled shakily back at her, but she didn’t speak. She didn’t trust herself to.

“Get up, Miss Swan,” Regina said after a moment, hopping down from the desk. “I think I need to get you out of those cuffs before you hurt yourself.”

Emma did as she was told, climbing to her feet and turning on the spot so that Regina could fiddle with the tightly clamped metal. Her wrists were aching and she knew she would have marks there tomorrow, but not a single part of her cared. Not when her hands were suddenly free and she was able to spin back around, grabbing Regina by the collar of her shirt and shove her towards the wall abruptly enough to startle even her.

She didn’t ask what Emma was doing, because she didn’t care. She slid her arms around Emma’s neck and let herself be forced up against the wall, her skirt bunched up around her waist and her legs still shaking. Emma kissed her furiously, her hands sliding up between them to squeeze hard at Regina’s breasts, before slipping back down. Regina didn’t stop her as her fingers slipped between her thighs – instead, she lifted one leg and hooked it around Emma’s waist, moaning into her mouth as three fingers plunged deep inside her.

Emma fucked her like she’d never had the chance to before. She pinned her hard against the wall and bit down on her throat, trembling at the noises she was making, and she plunged her fingers inside her as hard and as fast as her shaking arms would allow. Regina gasped and moaned and writhed against her, but she never let go of her shoulders. Her wetness was slick down the insides of her thighs, and every time Emma pushed herself inside her, it continued to grow.

“I’m going to come,” Regina suddenly gasped, biting down hard on Emma’s shoulder. Emma moaned and kept going, her resolve hardening as she felt Regina’s thighs starting to shake.

There was no way that someone else wouldn’t have heard Regina’s cry when she came. She tried to muffle the shout against Emma’s skin, but it was piercing and it was desperate. Emma whimpered at the sound of it, pressing herself harder against Regina’s body, before finally letting the hand that was wedged between them go still. She tried to blink the stars away from her eyes.

When she pulled away, Regina looked shocked. She was breathing hard.

“God,” she stammered, her hand reaching up to rest on Emma’s chest. “That was...”

Emma just nodded. “Yeah. It really was.”

She staggered backwards, leaving Regina slumped against the wall, and leaned back against the edge of the desk. Her wet nightstick was lying on the floor beside her.

As Regina tugged her skirt down and began to straighten her blouse, she laughed, “This definitely went better than I expected.”

Emma smirked back at her, finally redressing herself. “You really do have the most amazingly filthy mind.”

Then she looked to her right, at the corridor that was still suspiciously empty, and she sighed. “This was stupidly risky though.”

Regina just shrugged. “Not really.”

“Yes, really,” Emma said, rolling her eyes because Regina always had to know absolutely everything better. “Someone could easily have heard us. In fact, it’s really weird that no one did.”

Regina didn’t respond, which was even weirder. When Emma glanced back at her, she was looking way too smug.

“Regina,” Emma sighed. “What did you do?”

“Nothing special. It was just a security measure.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Go into the hallway,” Regina said, sitting herself down in Emma’s desk chair and crossing her legs. Emma sighed and did as she was told, suspicious that she was about to come face to face with a team of bodyguards that Regina had hired to keep the area clear.

Instead, she came face to face with something much stranger. There was someone in the hall, but he didn’t look like he worked for a private security company. In fact, he kind of looked like her father.

He wasn’t moving, though. He was down the other end of the hall, frozen mid-walk. He didn’t see her.

Emma sighed loudly. “You _froze_ everyone?”

Regina was grinning at her when she looked back. “Maybe.”

“The whole town?”

“Yes,” Regina said smugly. Emma walked back into the office. “It was a necessary precaution.”

“And you didn’t just tell me that to begin with, why?”

“Because that wouldn’t have been anywhere near as much fun,” Regina purred. It was weird how even though Emma was the one standing over her, Regina still seemed to have the higher ground. “I know how much the idea of getting caught turns you on.”

Emma blushed furiously. “It does not.”

“The evidence would suggest you are lying,” Regina said, looking down at Emma’s jeans, where she knew full well that her panties were still soaked.

Emma leaned down, placing her hands on the arms of Regina’s chair and brushing their noses together. “You are so twisted.”

“I’m good though, aren’t I?”

“I guess,” Emma said. She couldn’t help but grin. “I can’t believe you froze a whole town just so you could have sex with me.”

“I would do a lot more than that,” Regina said, suddenly closing the minute gap between them and kissing Emma hard. She was smiling when she pulled away. “Was it what you imagined?”

“And more,” Emma said, sounding slightly breathless. “Thank you.”

“Good,” Regina smirked. And then she was pushing herself out of her chair, sending Emma stumbling backwards. “And I was serious about next time. I’m going to fuck you with a strap-on until you can’t think.”

Emma groaned to herself. “Okay.”

“Excellent,” Regina said, reaching out to cup her cheek. “I’ll come to yours again. It’s always much nicer when you can scream.”

Trying to ignore the heating sensation between her legs, Emma nodded sharply. “Yeah.”

“I’ll text you soon,” Regina said. The self-satisfaction on her face was intoxicating. Then she turned and headed for the door.

“Wait,” Emma called after her. “What about the—?”

“I’ll give you five minutes to clean up,” Regina said, not turning around. “Then I’ll unfreeze everyone. Make sure that nightstick is hidden somewhere safe before daddy dearest comes in.”

Emma collapsed back into her chair with a moan. Regina disappeared from sight, her shoes clacking down the empty hall, and Emma was left wondering whether five minutes would be enough time to get herself under control again.


	6. Chapter 6

Emma and Regina fell into a routine. In public, they acted normal – or normal enough, considering both of them almost always wanted to disappear into the nearest closet and fuck the other senseless. Emma kept a close eye on her parents, trying to gauge whether or not they suspected anything, but it seemed that between their undying love for one another and their screaming, colicky baby, they didn't have much time to pay attention to anything else. Henry, meanwhile, was so engrossed in texting his girlfriend that he didn't care about anything at all. Whenever Emma asked him how his other mother was doing, he just shrugged and said "Fine" without glancing up from his phone. Emma didn't have many other friends to ask, and so it seemed that the town was none the wiser.

If she'd taken a moment to think about it, maybe she would have been offended that no one cared enough about her to notice when she was suddenly happy. But most days she was too distracted by the filthy texts that Regina sent her across crowded rooms to be offended about anything.

Whenever they had town council meetings, Regina would always deliberately sit next to her so she could slide a hand up the inside of her thigh beneath the table. Emma wore a dress once, hoping it would drive Regina to doing something really sensationally dirty while surrounded by a table of councillors, but it didn't work. Instead, Regina had sat stony-faced for the entire meeting, her arms crossed on top of her papers. When the meeting ended, however, she asked the sheriff to stay behind for a quick chat about the latest crime figures. Then she'd pulled Emma over her lap and fucked her into tears until she'd promised never to try and outmanoeuvre her like that again.

Six weeks passed, and Emma was startled to realise that she was happy. Really, truly happy, maybe for the first time in her life. She got the normal stuff, like hanging out with her son and dutifully going to work and having family dinners with her parents, but then once or twice a week she also got to sneak Regina into her house, where her hands would find a thousand new ways to make her cry out with noises that she wasn't sure she'd ever made before. It was a strange kind of perfect, although perfection was something that always made her feel wary.

But her wariness vanished when she walked into Granny's one day, spotted Regina sitting in the corner, and immediately felt a text buzz through on her phone. She pulled it out of her pocket while waiting for her takeaway coffee.

_Do you remember that thing we talked about when I came by your office?_

Oh, Emma remembered a _lot_ about that time. It had been over a month ago, and they'd met up plenty of times since, but she knew which specific thing Regina was referring to at once.

_I absolutely do_ , she replied, eagerly awaiting what came next.

She glanced up and saw that Regina was casually typing on her phone, a cup of coffee lifted in her spare hand. Emma looked back down at her screen, the three dots in the bottom left corner making her stomach fizzle.

_Are you free to try it out tonight?_

Emma's arm nearly slid off the edge of the counter. _Come round at 9?_

_Perfect. Do you have a spare key?_

Emma hesitated. _Yes, why?_

_Leave it under the mat. I want you naked and waiting on your bed when I arrive._

Forcing herself not to moan out loud in the middle of a crowded diner, Emma grabbed her coffee and headed for the door, already typing out her response. _Yes, Madam Mayor._

* * *

Later that evening, Emma rushed around her bedroom tidying things away, putting on fresh sheets and making sure she had a whole array of toys and restraints ready in her nightstand. She washed and dried her hair and stood naked in front of the bathroom mirror putting on make-up. She loved the sooty look she got beneath her eyes whenever Regina managed to make her really beg, so waterproof mascara was never something she bothered with anymore. She wanted Regina to wipe her tears away and laugh at the black smears on her thumbs.

She was ready by 8:30. Waiting for that final half hour nearly killed her.

When her phone read 8:55, Emma took a deep breath and climbed up onto her bed. She kneeled in the centre of it, facing the rest of the room, and waited. The pounding in her chest grew as the minutes ticked by, and by the time it was finally nine o'clock, the drumming was starting to feel like the lead-up to an explosion.

Then it was 9:01. 9:02. Emma shifted anxiously, her heels digging into her backside and her pussy already wet from anticipation. When she shifted from one knee to the other, she could feel herself sticking to the back of her ankles.

9:03. Emma started to get worried.

It wasn't until 9:10, when the door finally opened downstairs and Emma nearly burst into tears of relief, that she realised Regina had made her wait on purpose. She'd probably been hanging out on the sidewalk outside for the past half hour.

Emma swallowed hard and looked down at her knees, because she could feel the need and the embarrassment rising in her cheeks and she didn't want Regina to see either of them when she walked into the room. The footsteps on the stairs resonated through her ribcage, and she had to fight to catch her breath before the anticipation choked her.

The bedroom door was already open, and Regina swanned in like she lived there. She didn't look at Emma. Instead, she turned to close the door and lock it behind her, before tossing her purse and keys onto the chair beside Emma's dresser. She peeled her coat off, and it was draped over the top of them.

"Miss Swan," she said, drawing the words out along the full length her tongue. Emma shivered.

"Hi."

"Did I keep you waiting long?"

Emma squeezed her hands between her knees and shook her head. "No, Madam Mayor."

"Look at me when I'm talking to you," Regina said. Emma lifted her head and found Regina waiting expectantly, her eyebrows raised. "That's better. Did you think I wasn't coming?"

"I... I hoped you were."

"Have you missed me?"

"Yes," Emma said at once, not caring if she sounded desperate. She always sounded desperate when Regina was around.

"Good," Regina said smugly. She walked forward until she was standing at the end of the bed. "Come closer."

Taking a breath, Emma rose up onto her knees and shuffled forwards. Regina reached out a hand as soon as she was close enough to touch, sliding her fingers tenderly through Emma's hair.

She pressed her mouth against Emma's ear and murmured, "I missed you too."

"You did?"

"Very much so. Has it been a full week?"

"Six days," Emma said automatically, and Regina chuckled.

"You have a good memory for these things."

"It's all I can think about most days," Emma admitted. Regina pulled back so that she could smirk at her.

"Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Definitely."

"Have you been touching yourself thinking about it?"

"Definitely," Emma repeated, her voice dropping. Regina's eyes seemed to get darker.

"Next time you do that," she said, and Emma recognised the warning in her words, "I expect you to tell me."

Emma blinked. "When?"

"Before you come," Regina said. "If you're lucky, I might come round and help you finish."

A soft moan escaped from Emma's lips. "What if it's 3am and you're asleep?"

"Well," Regina said, both of her hands slipping through Emma's hair and gently tilting her head back. "Then a video of you fucking yourself will be a nice thing for me to wake up to, won't it?"

Emma leaned back into her touch and sighed. "Yes, Madam Mayor."

She gasped when Regina suddenly reached down and cupped her pussy. Her grip was firm, and Emma had to force herself not to wriggle against it. "This belongs to me. Correct?"

"Yes," Emma said, her chest heaving. "It's yours."

"Then when you're lounging around playing with it, I expect you to tell me. Just in case I'd rather you didn't."

Emma swallowed. "You'd tell me to stop?"

"Maybe," Regina mused. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"

She was still cradling the back of Emma's head, her fingers teasing through her curls, and Emma couldn't decide whether she should concentrate on that or the growing pressure between her legs. She forced her hips to remain still, knowing that if Regina sensed the slightest bit of movement she would punish her by shoving her hard away from her. Her jaw started to tremble at the exertion.

Regina spotted it at once and laughed. "Is this what it looks like when you're trying to be restrained?" Her fingers shifted against Emma's pussy, and Emma knew it was deliberate.

"Yes," she gasped out.

"Have you been fantasising about this all day?"

"Yes, Madam Mayor."

Regina's fingers shifted once more, slowly dipping inside her. Emma whined, reaching up to cling onto Regina's shoulders so she could steady herself.

Regina just laughed, not pushing her away. "I shouldn't be surprised by how wet you are, then."

Emma couldn't respond to that, because Regina's fingers were sliding deeper inside her and she could feel her body stretching around them. She still didn't move her hips, didn't grind down against them, because she knew this was a test and she knew what would happen if she failed it. Instead, she leaned her forehead against Regina's chest and breathed heavily. When Regina's thumb bent, pressing down on her clit, she gasped out loud.

"You can do better than that, Miss Swan," Regina murmured. Her fingers had stilled inside her and they both knew what she was waiting for.

"You haven't given me permission," Emma whined. Regina kissed the top of her head.

"Has that ever stopped you before?"

"I'm trying to—"

"Beg for it," Regina interrupted her. "And maybe I'll say yes."

"Please," Emma said at once, her grip tightening against Regina's shoulders. The fingers inside her were motionless and infuriating, and the need to start fucking herself on them was growing. She could only wait for permission for so long before she started wriggling. "Can I fuck you?"

"Look at me and ask again," Regina said, and Emma shakily lifted her head. Regina was unnervingly calm, her eyes watching the desperation that was creeping over Emma's face. She flicked her thumb against her clit once more and smirked when Emma gasped.

"Please, Madam Mayor, can I fuck your fingers?"

Regina pretended to think about it for about half a second before she simply said, "No."

But before Emma could cry or complain or beat her fists against Regina's shoulders, she was being pushed back onto the bed, her legs tangling beneath her. Regina pulled her fingers free for a split second so that she could crawl on top of her, and then they were back inside her, fucking her with absolutely no preamble. Emma moaned, her back arching off the bed, and sunk into the feeling of Regina's fingers slamming into her.

"You don't fuck me," Regina said calmly, pulling out again and landing a harsh slap against Emma's cunt before diving back inside her. "I fuck you. Remember that."

"Yes, Madam Mayor," Emma gasped, wriggling against the stinging pain that was shooting through her. It was blurring into the rising pleasure, and she felt that familiar confusion that told her she was probably going to come soon even though she had no idea why.

Regina saw it too, and she fucked her even harder. It almost hurt as her fingers pounded inside of her, but beneath that it felt so fucking good that all Emma could do was arch and moan and beg Regina not to stop.

But she did, of course. She pulled her fingers abruptly free and pushed them into Emma's open mouth, ignoring her frantic blinking and her tiny choke of surprise.

"Clean them," Regina demanded, and Emma fought through her disappointment and the continued pounding between her legs so she could swirl her tongue around Regina's wet fingers. Before she'd even fully cleaned them off, Regina was yanking them free again. "Stand up."

Dizzy and breathless, Emma slid her legs out from underneath Regina's body and climbed off the bed. She could feel herself swaying as she waited for her next instruction.

"Go over to my purse," Regina told her, turning and sitting on the edge of the bed. Emma forced herself to do as she was told, and when she reached the other side of the room, she took a breath and opened the bag on the chair. The second she looked inside, she felt herself go hot all over.

"Not that," Regina said, because she'd deliberately placed the strap-on right at the top to fill Emma with excitement and then bitter disappointment immediately afterwards. She sounded way too pleased with herself when she added, "Underneath it."

Emma shifted it out of the way and blinked. The paddle that Regina had used on her during their first ever meeting was lying at the bottom of the bag. An excited thump beat at her chest.

"Bring it to me."

Emma pulled it free and returned to where Regina was waiting for her. Her hand was already outstretched, like she was half expecting Emma to refuse to give it to her.

"Am I being punished for something?" Emma asked, because for once she couldn't actually remember what she'd done wrong. Her legs were wobbling and when she blinked, bright spots flashed up in front of her eyes. It had all come from the exertion of _not_ doing something that would get her in trouble.

Regina was already smiling at her. "Not exactly. Maybe I just like to hear you beg."

Then she gestured to the bed behind her. Emma didn't need to be told what she was expecting – she took a breath and climbed back onto the mattress, positioning herself on her hands and knees in the very centre.

Regina stayed sitting for a while, swinging the paddle through the air and slapping it down against her palm. Emma flinched every time she heard the cracking sound, waiting for the blow to finally land on the back of her thigh. Regina was in no rush, though, and she didn't get up. She seemed to be enjoyed the tingling in her hand.

"Did this hurt you the last time I used it?" she asked eventually. Emma wasn't sure what the correct answer was.

"Yeah," she eventually offered. "But I was being punished."

"Does that mean you're not expecting it to hurt this time?"

Emma swallowed. "That's up to you, Madam Mayor."

She could feel Regina smiling at her as she finally stood up. "When you're being well behaved like this, it makes me want to take pity on you."

"But are you going to?" Emma asked. She got her answer when the paddle swung down against her ass, clapping hard enough against her skin to make her shout out.

"No," Regina said simply, slapping the other side instead. "I don't think so."

Emma grabbed hold of the sheets with her fists and released a long breath from between her teeth. The paddle came back down on her, stinging against her already-pink skin, and she did everything she could not to make another noise. She lasted three more blows before she failed.

"Oh, dear," Regina purred, roughly shoving two fingers back inside Emma's cunt. "Is it very painful?"

Caught between a moan and a howl, Emma blurted out, "Yes, Madam Mayor."

"Are you going to ask me to stop?"

"No, Madam Mayor."

"Good," Regina said, pushing her fingers deeper and slapping the paddle against the outside of Emma's thigh. The cracking sound it released made Emma's toes curl. "Are you going to tell me that you don't enjoy this?"

"No, I'm not," Emma gritted out. A third finger pushed inside her and she could feel her legs starting to shake.

"I'm glad. Because you're soaked, so I wouldn't believe you if you tried."

She brought the paddle back down against Emma's ass, and Emma cried out. Her arms wouldn't keep holding her up for much longer.

"Madam Mayor," she gasped, her throat dry and her cunt squeezing furiously. "Please can I come?"

Regina tutted, and the feeling of being scolded pushed Emma even closer to the edge.

" _Please_ ," she repeated. She sounded desperate, which she knew was Regina's favourite thing in the world.

"Fine," she conceded, crooking her fingers inside Emma's pussy. Emma cried out as she climaxed, nearly tearing the sheets between her clenched fists. Regina chuckled, not letting her rhythm slip as she continued to fuck her, the force of three fingers interspersed with the hard crack of leather against bare skin.

As Emma's orgasm began to trail off, the sensation got too much. She gasped out loud and tried to wriggle away, which only earned her a harder blow.

"Stay where you are," Regina snapped.

"No, no," Emma garbled, sounding breathless. Her skin was screaming and her pussy felt too tender to touch. "Please stop."

"Don't you dare tell me what to do," Regina said, pulling her fingers free just so she could ferociously slap Emma's dripping wet skin. Emma screamed and tried to crawl away, but a hand on her thigh pulled her back. "Stay still, you stupid girl. If you try to get away again then I'll move onto a cane instead."

Emma whimpered, knowing that Regina didn't have a cane hidden in that Mary Poppins purse of hers but fully trusting her ability to find a makeshift one somewhere in that room. As soon as she had gone still, Regina's fingers were back inside her, not even attempting to be gentle as they pushed in as deep as possible.

"You would look so beautiful with red welts all across your ass," Regina said thoughtfully, the tenderness in her voice contradicting the rough way she was forcing her fingers inside. "Maybe I should cane you anyway."

Emma rocked back against her, trying not to moan. Regina's words were like a handful of snakes, and she could feel them twisting around her, coiling up her limbs and sliding into her ears. She'd never wanted to be caned – never even thought about it – but now that Regina had said it, she wanted to murmur in agreement, to crawl downstairs on her hands and knees until she found a stick or a ruler or anything at all that Regina could use to bruise her skin and make her collapse in a snivelling heap.

Regina saw her trembling thighs and cackled. "Don't tell me you'd enjoy that."

"I—" Emma started, then cut herself off with a gasp when the paddle smacked back down against her skin. She gripped hold of the sheets harder. "I don't know."

Regina pulled her fingers free and placed them flat against Emma's clit. "Why do you enjoy it when I hurt you?"

"I don't know," Emma repeated, now furiously grinding against Regina's palm. Regina didn't seem to mind that she wasn't staying still this time. The paddle cracked against her skin again.

"Do you think you deserve it?" Regina asked. She sounded so fucking conversational even when her middle finger was slowly circling Emma's clit.

"Maybe," Emma choked out. A familiar tingling was starting in her hands and feet.

"Maybe?"

"I just like— _oh_. Maybe I just like your attention."

Regina chuckled. She hadn't been expecting that.

"You like my attention, even when I'm spanking you and calling you names?"

"Ye- _es_ ," Emma moaned, wishing Regina's fingers were back inside her so they could push her over the ledge another time. Her orgasm was brewing just below the surface and she needed something, anything, to set it off. "I just like it when you're touching me."

Another chuckle. "Miss Swan, do you need to come again?"

" _Yes_."

"Already? I seem to recall you begging me to stop a minute ago."

"Please, Madam Mayor," Emma gasped, her arms finally giving way and her upper body collapsing down to the bed. "Please."

"What will you do for me if I let you?" Regina asked casually, glossing the leather side of the paddle over Emma's burning skin. Her single finger continued to swirl around and around, not putting enough pressure on Emma's clit to relieve her but instead just keeping her dangling at the edge.

" _Anything_."

"Will you let me fuck you with the other toy I have in my purse?"

Emma groaned. "Yes, yes, _yes_."

"Will you let me fuck your mouth with it?"

"You can fuck anything you like with it, Madam Mayor," Emma garbled, and she no longer had any idea what she was saying.

"Well. You're even more desperate than I thought," Regina laughed, but she finally relented. Her hand began to move quickly over Emma's clit, the ridges between all four of her fingers grinding over Emma's sensitive skin. Emma clawed the sheets towards her face and moaned into them, not caring about the black mascara smears that she was getting everywhere or the way that she was inexplicably drooling. She came again, her hips thrusting themselves back against Regina's hand, and the feeling of the paddle clapping against her skin suddenly didn't even register anymore.

Regina let her collapse down onto the bed for a minute to get her breath back before snapping, "Come here." Emma forced herself up onto shaky knees and moved back towards her, pausing at the end of the bed.

"Take my clothes off," Regina said. Emma didn't hesitate, her fingers fumbling with the buttons on Regina's silk shirt as she tried to remove it as quickly as possible. It was tossed to the floor in a puddle, and then Emma was hunting for the zipper on her skirt.

As Regina stepped out of the fabric, Emma reached up to try and unhook her bra. She was met with a harsh slap against the back of her hand.

"I said my clothes," Regina said. "That's enough."

Emma shakily exhaled, sitting back on her heels. "I'm sorry."

"Get back on your knees," Regina said, turning away from her. "Face the wall."

Emma did as she was told, returning to her position in the centre of the bed. As she kneeled, she could hear Regina moving around behind her: she was rummaging around in her purse. Emma's cunt clenched automatically.

She longed to look over her shoulder and drink in the sight of Regina strapping that object around her hips, but she well trained enough by then not to dare. She also knew that Regina was deliberately taking her time, simultaneously building the anticipation and giving Emma a chance to get her body under control before they started playing again.

The latter wasn't really happening, though. Emma's heart rate was spiralling and the sound of leather straps creaking behind her was making it harder and harder for her to catch her breath.

She swallowed and took a gamble. "Regina?"

She felt Regina hesitate – Emma never forgot to call her Madam Mayor anymore. "Yes?"

"Can I use orange, please?"

She hadn't used that safe word yet – it was a middle ground that she'd never stumbled into before. But, then again, she'd never felt like she was having palpitations before either. By now, she'd finally learned to recognise when her body was telling her to slow down.

"What do you need from me?" Regina asked at once, stepping closer to the bed. Emma didn't move.

"I just feel a bit wired. I need a second to calm down."

"Do you want to stop?"

"No," Emma said at once. "Please. I just need a minute."

Regina approached the mattress and reached out a hand for Emma's turned back. "Edge back a bit. Not too far."

Emma shifted backwards on her knees, waiting until she felt Regina's fingertips against her shoulders before she stopped. A pair of hands immediately slid over her shoulders and began to press against the knots beneath her skin.

Sighing happily, Emma asked, "What's this for?"

"We need you to loosen up a bit," Regina explained. Emma was all too aware that she was standing so far away because there was something between her legs that she didn't want to prod her with – yet – but she fought to push the thought aside.

"Does this mean I'll get a massage any time I say orange?"

"No," Regina said, an amused smile twisting through her voice. "I'll know when you're just taking advantage of me."

Emma grinned and closed her eyes, letting Regina's fingers work their magic over her tensed shoulders. As she concentrated on that feeling alone, the pounding her chest gradually began to subside.

"Okay," she murmured after a while. "I think I'm good."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah," Emma said, wriggling her shoulders just to be certain. She felt calmer than she had done since she'd gotten Regina's text in Granny's. "Positive."

"Good. Then get back in the middle of the bed and wait for me. Use your signal if you change your mind."

Comfort settled over Emma like a heavy blanket, and she shuffled back towards the centre of the mattress.

Regina continued to move around behind her, although Emma suspected she wasn't doing anything other than trying to leave Emma guessing. Her footsteps whispered over the carpet. Emma took a deep breath, her fingers tapping against her knees, and waited for the mattress to dip behind her.

When it did, Regina didn't waste any time in crawling forwards and grabbing Emma by her throat. Gasping, Emma leaned back against her body and felt something hard and smooth digging into her ass. A sharp burst of air hissed through her teeth.

"Is this what you want?" Regina murmured in her ear. She bent her head and pressed her lips against Emma's neck, kissing it gently, letting her mouth trail down her flushed skin without leaving any marks behind.

"Yes," Emma said, the word cracking beneath Regina's fingers. As she spoke, Regina's other hand slid down the front of her body and cupped her between her legs.

"You're so wet," she said, her voice full of wonderment. She pressed harder, one finger sliding inside. "When was the last time you had a cock inside you, Miss Swan?"

There was something so dizzying about hearing Regina's velvety voice say such a vulgar word. "It's been... a while."

Emma could feel Regina smirking at the tremor in her voice. "Tell me when."

"Months ago."

"Before Hook left?"

"A lot before," Emma admitted, wriggling on Regina's single finger. "We didn't... We weren't..."

Regina suddenly bit down hard on Emma's throat, making her gasp. "You didn't let him fuck you anymore?"

"Not very often," Emma whined, and why was this turning her on? Thinking about how much she hadn't wanted to fuck her fiancé should be making her feel sick or sad or both – it shouldn't be filling her up like a bath full of scalding water as she thought about how desperate she was to have Regina fuck her instead.

"Hmm," Regina purred, sliding a second finger inside her. "Do you miss it?"

"Miss what?" Emma asked, gasping, not really listening, not really caring.

"Cock," Regina muttered, and they both felt the new surge of wetness that dripped from Emma's cunt at that one filthy word.

"Sometimes," Emma admitted, squeezing her eyes shut. "But not his."

It was the right answer, apparently, because Regina chuckled. "Good. Because you have mine now."

"Not yet."

"Don't be so impatient," Regina snapped, slipping her fingers in deeper and slowly spreading them. Emma whimpered, grinding back hard against Regina's body. "You know I won't have a problem with taking it away again."

Emma closed her mouth at once, because Regina was absolutely right and she wasn't willing to risk it. Regina laughed at her sudden silence, grazing her lips over the shell of her ear.

"I do love it when you do as you're told," she said. Then she snatched her fingers back and switched her grip on Emma's throat, moving it from the front round to the back of her neck. "Now get on your hands and knees."

She was already pushing her roughly downwards as she spoke, but Emma didn't need any encouragement. She crawled forwards onto her hands and let her head drop. Regina reached down between her legs and nudged at the inside of her thighs, pushing them further apart, before kneeling between them. Emma couldn't feel anything pressing against her anymore but there was a presence lingering behind her, and the fact that she didn't have it inside her yet was already driving her crazy.

Regina reached forward and dragged a hand down Emma's back, letting her fingers explore the troughs caused by her ribs and her tensed muscles. Emma shivered, rocking back, her pussy already aching from the anticipation. She didn't care what happened next, or how Regina took her – pushed down, pushed open, tied up, filled in every hole. It didn't matter. She just wanted to be fucked by her, and she wanted to come, yet again, with Regina all around her and inside her.

A sudden pressure against her cunt made her moan out loud, and before she could prepare herself or absorb the feeling, Regina was pushing the full length of the strap-on inside her. Emma gasped, her hands clawing at the sheets once more, as Regina's thighs met the backs of her own.

" _Fuck_ ," she blurted out. It was big, bigger than she'd been expecting, and overwhelming. It was also fucking incredible, and she never wanted the sensation of being so outrageously filled up to ever go away.

"Is it good?" Regina asked calmly, gliding her hands over Emma's ass.

"Yes – yes, it's good."

"Are you going to stay there and let me take you however I want to?"

" _Yes_ ," Emma replied. Regina started to pull out of her, the bumps on the shaft grinding infuriatingly slowly over her muscles, before thrusting back inside again in one sharp movement.

Emma lowered her head to the mattress and whimpered, lifting her ass higher, hoping Regina would take the hint but knowing full well that she wasn't going to move faster until she deemed herself ready to. Even then, she just laughed at her. She let her fingertips trail down the backs of Emma's thighs, pausing to dig into the red patches that had been left behind by the paddle just so she could hear her hiss with pain, before sliding back up again and dipping her thumbs between Emma's cheeks. Emma tensed up automatically, and Regina chuckled again, moving them away without pushing in.

"Impatient, but also so anxious," she commented lightly. "That might be my favourite combination."

"I'm not... anxious," Emma protested, but they could both hear the restless squeak to her voice. She earned a harsh slap to her right asscheek for her pathetic lie. "I'm sorry. I just really want this."

"Want what?" Regina demanded, sliding back out again.

"You," Emma gasped, her cheeks going pink. "Inside me. Like this."

Maybe Regina appreciated her sincerity, because no sooner had she finished her sentence than Regina was thrusting back inside, finally picking up a proper pace. She scraped her nails along Emma's spine, leaving angry red marks as she went. As she plunged back inside her again and again, Emma's faint cries grew gradually louder, her back muscles trembling beneath her skin as she wrenched at the sheets and mindlessly pleaded with Regina to fuck her just that little bit harder.

"You're getting greedy again," Regina scolded. "And noisy."

Because Emma was stammering out half-finished sentences that made no sense and mostly consisted of "Please, please, yes, Madam Mayor I can't, I won't, _please_." Regina slapped her sharply across the ass and demanded, "Be _quiet_."

She didn't care that Emma was being loud. They both knew that. There were few things Regina loved hearing more than Emma nonsensically babbling and crying and moaning her name like she was her own personal deity. She was only telling Emma to be quiet because she knew she wouldn't be able to, and when she failed, she would get to punish her for it.

She pulled out sharply, sucking the breath from Emma's body, and snapped, "If you can't keep yourself quiet then I guess I'll have to do it for you."

Emma moaned into the crumpled sheets, her entire body hot and sticky with sweat. Her pussy was clenching around nothing as it waited high in the air for Regina to come back to her.

Regina opened Emma's closet and made a grab for the objects that Emma had helpfully left right at the front, just in case they were needed, before climbing back onto the mattress. She dropped one by the foot of the bed before reaching out with the other.

"Head up," she said. "Mouth open."

Emma slowly pushed herself up off the bed. She barely had time to inhale before the scarf was being looped over her head and secured between her teeth. Regina tied it into a knot at the back of her skull and then shoved her face away from her again.

"This time, I want you to actually be quiet. Do you understand?" Regina asked. Emma nodded shakily, clenching her teeth around the gag. There was a pause. Then, fast enough to knock the air from her lungs, Regina shoved the dildo back inside her, sending her upper body collapsing back down to the bed once more.

She didn't hold back this time. Emma moaned and writhed beneath her as Regina slammed into her, holding onto her hips for support as she drove inside. Emma spread her legs further and arched her back, shivering any time she felt that delicious pressure building deep inside her, and in spite of the fabric that was splitting her mouth in half, she wailed. Regina spanked her hard and kept fucking her, watching the way Emma's back muscles shifted as she reached out for the sheets, groping at them, tugging them towards her and then pushing them away again because she couldn't decide what she needed right then other than to come so spectacularly violently that her lungs wouldn't survive it.

"I love it when you're spread open for me like this," Regina suddenly purred, and Emma let out a low moan that resonated through both of them. "But there's something else I'd like even more."

She pulled out sharply, and Emma wailed with disappointment.

"Stop whining," Regina snapped. "Sit up."

Emma pushed herself back up onto her knees, trying desperately not to cry, as Regina reached down for the second object that she'd brought back with her from the closet.

"Put your arms behind your back," Regina told her, already taking hold of one of her wrists and wrenching it behind her.

Emma did as she was told, bending her arms behind her and holding on tight to the inside of either elbow. As soon as she was in the right position, Regina looped the belt around them, clamping Emma's wrists together and forcing her breasts forwards.

"Does this hurt?" Regina asked as she tightened the belt. Emma shook her head. "Let me know if it starts to. I won't be able to see your hands so if you need to signal, click your fingers."

Emma did so to show her that she understood, and then Regina was pulling away, climbing back off the bed and walking around to the head of it. She hopped back up onto the mattress and positioned herself directly in front of Emma, and finally Emma got a proper look at her: the large black dildo was strapped between her legs, and underneath it she was wearing lace panties that turned Emma's insides to mush. She was swaggering, more confident that Emma had ever seen her, and Emma fought not to moan out loud.

Regina reached out for the back of Emma's head and tugged her close for a fierce kiss against her gagged lips before diving lower, nipping and sucking at her throat and chest. Just when Emma was panting again, Regina pulled away and lay down on her back, sliding her body beneath Emma's.

When she was positioned so that Emma was hovering directly above the strap-on, she smirked. The stricken, desperate look on Emma's face was dizzying.

"Sit down," she demanded, and Emma took a breath. She slowly guided herself onto the dildo and sat, an animalistic moan crawling from her gagged mouth as it filled her up. When it was all the way inside, she froze, breathing hard, sweat trickling down between her breasts. She rolled her hips tentatively and, as a wave of sudden dull pleasure rushed through her, her head fell back in shock.

Regina's hands slid up to grip hold of her hips. "Fuck yourself."

Raising herself up onto shaky legs, Emma did as she was told. She brought herself up to the near-end of the plastic cock that was buried inside her, then let her body drop back down. She cried out as she returned to the base: she'd missed this bottoming-out feeling, the sensation of being full to the brim and coming apart at the seams. She'd missed opening her eyes and finding someone staring devotedly up at her as she wriggled and panted and rocked.

She found a rhythm, using Regina's grip on her hips for balance in the absence of her own arms. Regina started to guide her, helping her roll forward so she could grind her clit against the heavy straps around Regina's pelvis with every forward thrust, and within minutes she was whimpering again, fucking herself almost uncontrollably against Regina with her entire body throbbing and frustrated tears prickling at her eyes.

Regina pushed herself upright and put her hands on the small of Emma's back, tugging her closer against her. Emma moaned, garbling incoherently through her gag as she rocked herself harder. Regina was smirking up at her, her mouth seeking out one nipple and gently teasing it between her bared teeth. The noises that were coming from Emma's mouth were getting louder and more jumbled, more pleading than they were encouraging, and they both knew how close she was to coming. She wasn't lifting herself up anymore but simply grinding ferociously, trying to get the dildo just a millimetre deeper, to graze her clit just that little bit harder, so she could finally explode and collapse, panting, against Regina's body.

At long last, Regina decided to take pity on her. With one hand, she reached up for Emma's throat and squeezed. Emma immediately moaned, her hips rolling forward with increased urgency, her eyes starting to water as Regina crushed the air out of her.

"Oh, she's crying again," Regina cooed, her other hand splayed against the base of Emma's spine and pulling her harder against her lap. "What a surprise."

Emma whimpered once more, and then Regina squeezed harder on her throat. As her head began to pound, the blood in the rest of her body rushed straight towards her cunt.

She came with a garbled cry that would have been humiliating under any other circumstances. Regina chuckled, choking her harder, watching the way her face turned redder as she writhed against Regina's lap her with breasts thrust forward and her cunt clenching around the cock that was still thrust deep inside.

Slowly releasing her throat, Regina asked, "Are you quite done?"

Emma nearly laughed; the relief that had come with her orgasm making her go loose-limbed and soft. But instead she nodded, and Regina reached up with her thumb to wipe away the saliva that Emma hadn't even noticed was dribbling out from beneath her gag.

"Always so messy," she commented, reaching behind Emma's head to untie the scarf. Emma thought she was going to be expected to answer a question, but instead Regina just snapped at her, "Get on the floor."

Blinking, Emma struggled to rise up off of the strap-on, ignoring the fluttering it sent shooting through her cunt as she wobbled towards the edge of the bed. It was impossible to move gracefully with her hands still bound behind her back, but eventually she made it down to the floor, waiting on her knees with her heart in her throat.

Regina stood up and walked towards her, and without even being asked, Emma opened her mouth. Regina laughed, not pushing the cock in yet when she had the perfect opportunity to belittle her even further.

"Have you missed having a dick in your mouth that badly, Miss Swan?" she asked, and Emma blushed.

"No."

"Are you sure?" Regina asked, bending down and cupping Emma's chin. "You seem pretty eager to have this one shoved down your throat."

She could feel Emma's jaw wobbling beneath her fingers, and it made her pussy throb.

"I thought that's what you wanted," Emma said quietly.

"Oh, it is. But I didn't ask yet, did I?"

"No, Madam Mayor."

"So why did you open your mouth before I'd told you to?"

"I don't know. I just thought..."

"You're always 'just thinking'," Regina scoffed, shoving her face away from her and straightening back up. "Suck it. Now. I want to hear you gagging."

Emma edged forwards on her knees and caught it with her lips, tentatively sliding it into her mouth. At once, a flash of filthy images rushed through her head – Regina magicking herself a proper cock and letting Emma suck it for real. Regina coming down her throat. Regina grabbing the back of her head and forcing her to choke on it until tears were streaming down her face. Emma moaned and sucked harder, cleaning the taste of herself off it, her pussy clenching all over again as she thought about all the terrible things she would let Regina do to her if she had one of these for real.

"Stop," Regina suddenly said, pulling Emma away from her by her hair. "What are you thinking about?"

The dark flush in Emma's cheeks should have given her her answer, but she still waited with her eyebrows raised and her heart pounding.

Emma bit her lip. "Nothing, Madam Mayor."

A hand shot out and grabbed her throat, squeezing hard. Emma gasped, trying to pull away.

"You're a filthy little liar," Regina muttered, and Emma immediately clenched her thighs together. "Tell me the truth."

She released Emma's throat and waited for her to stop coughing.

"I..." Emma gasped, straightening herself up. "I was imagining doing this for real. With you."

"This isn't real?"

"No. I mean... you have magic. You could..."

Her sentence trailed off because the words were too spectacularly filthy for her to force out. Regina narrowed her eyes, wondering what the hell she was blathering on about, before the penny finally dropped. She let out a dark chuckle.

"Oh, _Emma_ ," she purred, stroking Emma's sweaty hair away from her face. "I do love the disgusting thoughts that swirl around inside your head."

She suddenly reached behind her and unclipped the harness, wriggling free of the strap-on and letting it thud to the floor. Then she stepped forwards, grabbing Emma by the back of her head and tugging her between her legs.

Emma went to work immediately, grazing her lips and nose over her panties until Regina reached down and pulled them to one side. Regina sighed as she felt Emma's tongue slide over her wet skin.

"I don't know how to do that," Regina admitted, a quiet moan running through her words. Emma looked up at her, her mouth still moving and her tongue swirling over her clit. "But I can look into it. Would you like that?"

Emma nodded at once, and the movement obviously sent something hot shooting through Regina's crotch because she suddenly gasped, her head falling back.

"Okay," she sighed. Emma's tongue slipped inside her and she shivered. "Okay."

Tightening her grip on Emma's hair, she crushed her cunt against her mouth and let Emma ravage it. She was already close to climaxing – the sight of Emma on top of her, furiously fucking herself on a fake cock, had done unspeakable things to her insides. Now just the feeling of Emma's tongue swirling enthusiastically over her pounding clit was enough to tip her over the edge.

"I need to sit down," she gasped, taking a step back and collapsing onto the bed. "Come here."

Emma was already shuffling forward, and as soon as Regina spread her legs, Emma was back between them, her eyes looking up at Regina's flushed face as she worked. A hand fisted in her hair, silently encouraging her, and she watched as Regina fell back onto the sheets, her hips bucking upwards against Emma's mouth and her back arching as thick ribbons of pleasure began to wind their way around her limbs.

Her thighs started to tremble, and Emma immediately latched onto her clit, sucking gently but decisively, shivering all over when Regina cried out loud. Her other hand slid into Emma's hair as she came, pinning her in position, as she began to grind her cunt furiously against her mouth. Emma suddenly realised that this is what people meant when they said they were having their face fucked, and she moaned, sending vibrations through Regina's body and nearly tipping her over all over again.

"Stop," Regina gasped, pushing Emma away. But Emma whined, trying to stay where she was: she wasn't done, she wasn't ready to stop, and she wasn't happy only having made Regina come once.

Regina heard the noise of disapproval and forced herself back upright, looking down at her with her eyebrows raised. "Excuse me?"

Emma was pouting, which was unlike her. "I want to make you come again."

"And who said you're not going to?" Regina snapped, still gripping hold of her hair. "Have you conveniently forgotten our rules? When I tell you to stop, what do you do?"

"I stop," Emma said sulkily.

"Oh good, you do remember. What don't you do?"

"I don't ignore you and keep trying to eat your cunt," Emma said. There was a bratty tone to her voice that made Regina's entire body go hot and prickly.

She abruptly let go of Emma's hair and stood up, walking behind her. Bending down, she untied Emma's arms before grabbing the back of her neck.

"Get on the bed."

Emma did as she was told, staggering to her feet. She walked to the edge of the mattress and tried to climb onto it, but Regina stopped her, kicking her legs out from beneath her so she collapsed against the side of it. She gasped as Regina pinned her head down against the sheets, ignoring her wriggles of discomfort.

"I don't like this sudden attitude," Regina said, and Emma jumped when she felt something trailing down her spine. It was only then that she realised Regina was still holding onto the belt. "Are you going to apologise to me?"

Emma shifted, her knees grating against the carpet, and said, "I'm sorry, Madam Mayor."

Regina lightly flicked the leather strap against her back, smirking when she cried out. "That wasn't convincing. Try again."

The feel of the leather creeping up and down her spine was threatening and distracting, and Emma trembled. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Didn't mean to what?"

"To disobey you."

"Yes, you did," Regina said, bringing the belt down again. She was hardly using any force at all, and she knew it couldn't be hurting any more than the paddle had earlier, but the threat of a new toy that Emma wasn't fully acquainted with yet was more than enough to make her squirm. "You meant to do exactly that."

"I didn't," Emma pleaded, clutching hold of the sheets. Frightened tears were scratching at her eyes. "Please, Madam Mayor. I just wanted to make you feel good."

"Did it work?" Regina asked, calmly trailing the leather strap down between Emma's asscheeks and watching the way she flinched away from it. "Do you think I feel good?"

Emma paused. "No?"

"No," Regina confirmed, suddenly leaning down and cupping the belt hard over Emma's cunt. "Instead, I'm just angry and disappointed in you."

Emma sniffed hard, trying not to cry. She'd never expected the feeling of Regina being disappointed in her to hurt her chest this badly. "I'm really, really sorry."

"What are you going to do to make it up to me?"

Emma floundered. "I— I don't know. I don't want to disappoint you again."

"That's a terrible answer."

"I don't—" Emma was wriggling, gasping, Regina's hand still forcing her head down while the other pressed the hard leather between her legs. "Tell me what to do, please."

"Oh, _now_ you want to follow orders," Regina said, pulling the belt away and bringing it down harder against Emma's ass. Maybe too hard, as it turned out, because Emma screamed, trying to buck her off. The skin beneath the leather quickly went pink, and Regina knew that a bruise would blossom just behind it. She paused. "Get up."

Emma shakily got to her feet, trying not to snivel. Regina reached behind her and placed a hand over her newly damaged skin.

"Does this hurt?" she asked, her voice gentler. Emma nodded. "Too much?"

"Not... not too much," Emma said.

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure. Has it left a mark?"

"Not yet. There will be one, though."

Emma seemed weirdly reassured by that fact. "Okay."

"I won't do that again unless you're sure it's alright," Regina said. "But don't think this means you've been forgiven."

Nodding, Emma said, "I know. I'm sorry."

"Good. Now get on the bed."

Emma climbed back onto the mattress and went to position herself on her knees again. Regina interrupted her movements. "Not like that. Lie on your back."

She did so, the sheets grating against her bruised ass in a way that sent dull pleasure shooting down to her feet. She stretched, watching as Regina approached.

She'd been expecting Regina to crawl on top of her and pin her down with a biting kiss. She didn't – instead, she turned and climbed up facing Emma's feet, settling her pussy directly above Emma's face.

Emma looked up at her and swallowed. "Fuck."

"Don't stop until I tell you to," Regina said, crawling forward until her own face was above Emma's hips. "And when I say stop, I mean it. Do you understand?"

Emma nodded frantically. She could feel Regina's breath tickling her cunt.

Regina suddenly dipped forward, catching Emma's clit with her mouth, and Emma moaned loudly. She arched her hips towards Regina's face before realising that she was meant to be doing something too. Grabbing hold of Regina's hips, she pulled her down onto her face and dove in with as much fervour as she could muster.

Regina wriggled happily on top of her, her hips rolling forward every time Emma's tongue brushed against her. Emma moaned into the space between her legs. An overwhelming collection of sensations was creeping up on her from all sides and she surprised herself with how close she was already – as Regina delicately circled her clit with her tongue, she could feel her breath hitching and her thighs quaking. She knew Regina was in the same boat, because she couldn't stay still as she pinned Emma down – beside Emma's head, her toes were curling, and her hands had grabbed hold of Emma's legs and were using them to anchor herself. She was breathless and gasping, her hips riding harder and harder against Emma's mouth.

Emma pulled back by a millimetre to beg Regina to let her come, but Regina beat her to it.

"You don't need to ask permission," she murmured, her lips still half-busy doing something else, and Emma climaxed there and then. Her entire body trembled as Regina continued to touch her, her fingers and her lips delicate and determined all at once, and when Emma thrust her tongue as far inside Regina as it could go, she realised that she wasn't far behind. Regina pulled away from Emma's cunt and sat back, her hands on Emma's taut stomach, riding her face for all she was worth. Emma slid her hands up and gripped hold of her thighs, holding her in place for as long as she deemed her mouth to be a worthy throne.

* * *

Emma reappeared from the bathroom, rubbing a towel over her wet hair. She'd only washed it 30 minutes before Regina had arrived, but the sweat and the mascara-laced tears that had crept into it meant she didn't want to go to bed without taking care of it again.

"My ass is purple, you know," she said. Regina smirked back at her. She was still on Emma's bed, naked except for the crumpled sheet that she'd dragged half-heartedly across her torso at some point. Her hair was a mess. The only thing that was missing from the picture was a post-coital cigarette dangling from one hand.

"I'm sorry. That was actually an accident," she said. She sounded repentant for once in her life.

"I know," Emma said. "And it's okay – I'm not complaining."

"Funny. You sound like you are."

Emma grinned. "I'm just trying to take you down a peg. But actually, if you wanted to do something like that again… well. I wouldn't complain."

Regina sat upright and curiously asked, "Do you like the bruises?"

"Maybe," Emma said. Then, more seriously, she added, "I like having a reminder."

She was surprised by how tenderly Regina smiled at that. "Can I see it?"

Emma turned, giving Regina an unobstructed view of the mottled purple mark on her asscheek. She had a feeling she'd be turning to look at it in the mirror herself quite a few times over the coming week.

Regina opened her mouth, ready to say who knows what about it. But before she could, the doorbell rang.

Emma frowned, glancing in the direction of the hall. "What time is it?"

Regina was already rummaging around for her phone. "Nearly 11."

"Can you go answer it?"

"Oh, because I'm in a much better condition for receiving visitors?"

"No," Emma laughed, moving the towel to the other side of her head. "Because I don't want to."

"It is your house, you know."

"Yeah, I'm aware of that."

The doorbell rang again just as Regina pointed out, "And whoever is there is probably wanting to speak to you, not me."

"It's just going to be someone wanting to lure me into a new religion," Emma huffed.

"If anyone could use one of those, it's you," Regina said. Her own words were cut off by a faint shriek as Emma's wet towel suddenly flew towards her head.

"Shut up," Emma said, but she was smirking. She pulled on her tatty bathrobe and knotted the belt, walking towards the bedroom door as the bell chimed yet again from downstairs.

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, gritting her teeth as she descended the stairs. As she got closer to the front door, she could see the shadowy outline of someone through the glass. If they had a bible in their hand, she was going to shove it somewhere very dark indeed.

She reached the front door and tugged it open, an aggressive " _Yes_?" all ready on her lips. Shock cut her off before she could say it out loud.

"Killian?"

Because there he was, muddy and sweaty and still wearing the same long, leather coat as when she had last seen him. He was looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to register his presence and yelp with joy. Several moments of silence passed before it dawned on him that that wasn't about to happen.

"Hey," he said, as if trying to prompt a better reaction out of her. "It's me."

"It…" Emma blinked, frozen in the doorway. Her stomach was starting to twist. "It is."

When that was all she managed to say, Hook frowned. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Because Emma certainly didn't _look_ happy to see him – she was blinking over the threshold like she'd forgotten he even existed in the first place.

Glancing at the hand she still had curved round the edge of the door, he realised that she wasn't wearing the ring he'd given her. His face went dark.

"What's the matter?"

Emma suddenly felt absolutely certain that she was about to throw up. Regina was upstairs, naked except for one of her sheets, and she had no idea what was worse – Hook going upstairs and finding her like that, or Regina hearing every single word that was coming from the front door.

"I'm just… surprised," Emma eventually forced out, making no move to step back from the threshold. She gathered her robe closer to her body, hoping it would cover up the bite marks that she knew must be scattered over her throat. "What are you doing here?"

"I came back for you," Hook said, his charming grin returning to his face. He waited for Emma to swoon with delight.

There was a split second before Emma choked out, "You _left_ me. I didn't think I'd ever see you again. You just disappeared and didn't even—"

"I didn't leave by choice," Hook interrupted her. "I was taken away, and I've spent months trying to find my way back to you. And here I am. No one could keep me away from you, Swan."

Something curled up inside Emma's stomach like a dead snake. "But... that's not good enough."

"What do you mean?" Killian snapped, moving towards the door. He was expecting Emma to step back and let him through, but she stood firm.

"I mean, that's not a good enough excuse," Emma said flatly. She thought she heard a floorboard creak upstairs, and her throat went tight. "You proposed to me, and I said yes. Then you did something really fucking stupid and we fought about it, and then you disappeared for _months_ without a word. You seriously expect me to believe that you couldn't find any way of getting in touch?"

"I did!" Hook protested. "I found a bloody seashell that I could use to talk to you through. I thought you could hear me."

Emma blinked. "When was that?"

"I don't know – a week or two after I left," Hook rolled his eyes like it didn't matter. He'd tried once, and surely that was enough.

Something made Emma pause – if he was telling the truth, she knew the object his voice would have crept out of. It was sitting in the box of his things, which she had unceremoniously thrown into the garage the morning after she had gone to Aesop's Tables with Regina and Snow.

If he was telling the truth, his pleading voice would have crept out into that closed box around the same time that Emma had been sat in a darkened booth with Regina, a mouth drunkenly pressed against her ear and a warm hand on her thigh. He would have been telling her how desperately he was trying to find her just as Regina was telling her how desperately she wanted to fuck her.

She felt her cheeks go pink. "Well. I never heard it. Maybe you should have tried again."

Hook's eyebrows knitted together. He glanced at the brightly lit house behind her. "Can I come in so that we can talk about this?"

Every nerve in Emma's body shot through with electricity, and she edged the door closer to her. "No. That's not a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because I was… getting ready for bed."

"I can help with that, if you like," Hook smirked, looking down at her robe. His voracious tone should have made Emma go weak with desire, but it didn't. Something had happened over the past few weeks, and instead she just felt nauseous.

"That's alright. I think I've got it covered."

"Bloody hell, Emma," Hook suddenly spat, and Emma knew there was no way Regina wouldn't have heard his raised voice from upstairs. "What's gotten in to you? I know you must be angry at me for leaving, but you don't even seem slightly happy to have me back again."

Emma swallowed. "You just… You caught me off guard. It's really late and I wasn't expecting you to be here and I think we could both do with some time to process this."

"Process what?"

"What this means," Emma said, trying to sound firm. "I just need some time to think. And by the looks of it, you need some time to rest up."

She was looking at Hook's dirty coat, matted hair and all-round dishevelled appearance as she spoke. She tried to remember if he always looked like this, or whether her standards had simply gotten better over the past few months.

"And where am I supposed to do that if you won't let me in?" he asked. "I live here now, remember?"

"Go and get a room at Granny's," Emma said, looking around for her wallet. "I'll give you some money, and we can talk tomorrow."

"I don't want your money," Hook snapped, finally shaking off his last shred of self-restraint and striding towards her. He slipped his good hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in for a rough kiss. Emma froze up, her eyes staying open and her hands hanging by her sides. His stubble was rough against her face, and he tasted sour.

He pulled away and murmured, "I just want to see my fiancée."

Emma frowned. "Didn't I stop being your fiancée right before you left?"

"You were just upset," Hook said, still standing far too close. "I can understand why, but breaking up was stupid. I just want us to go back to how we were."

Anger overtook Emma like a demon possessing her, and she stepped away from him, shrugging off his touch. "I wasn't just _upset_ – I was really, really mad, and I still am. You don't get to snap your fingers and demand that I be engaged to you again just because you want me to, especially not after you took off to God knows where for months on end. What did you think was going to happen? I was just going to sit here crying in my wedding dress until you came back?"

Hook was glaring at her now. "What has gotten into you? Why are you acting like this?"

"I'm acting like this because I'm pissed at you and I have every right to be," Emma threw back at him, tugging her robe more tightly around her. "You need to leave. Go find a room somewhere. We'll talk tomorrow when you're willing to be a bit more reasonable."

" _I_ need to be reasonable?" Hook demanded, but Emma was already closing the door.

"Go," she said through the gap just before the door snapped shut. As soon as he was out of her sight, she twisted the lock shut, ignoring the sound of him swearing in disbelief from the other side.

She stepped back from the threshold and dove behind the nearest wall, waiting there with her eyes on the foggy glass until she was certain he had finally walked off. Then she groaned, her eyes moving in the direction of the staircase.

She slowly walked back up to her bedroom, her heart fluttering like a fly against a window. When she got there, she wasn't shocked to find that Regina was already getting dressed, facing away from the door.

Emma swallowed. "So. I guess you heard all of that."

Regina turned to look at her. Emma was surprised that she didn't look angry – she didn't exactly look happy, sure, but she wasn't spitting fire either. Emma decided she should take her victories where she could get them.

"I did," Regina said, reaching down to finish buttoning her blouse. "I can't say it sounded like a happy reunion."

Emma sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. I... I don't really know what to think right now."

"Well," Regina said, trying to keep her voice light. "He's back, somehow. You told him off very nicely, even if he didn't seem to understand your reasoning. And you're going to talk tomorrow. That's good, isn't it?"

Emma's eyes were wide and uncertain as she quietly asked, "Is it?"

Regina didn't know how to respond to that. If she let herself get hopeful over this, she knew the pain of crashing back down to reality would probably kill her.

So she smiled, hoping that Emma wouldn't see how forced it was. "Of course it is. You were engaged, after all. You must have loved him. Once you're not so angry anymore, you'll probably remember why."

She looked down at she spoke, smoothing out the creases in the shirt that Emma had all but torn from her body earlier. When she looked up, she was startled to see tears shimmering over the surface of Emma's eyes.

"Oh, Emma," she sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed and reaching out a hand. Emma immediately stumbled towards her, sitting as close to her side as possible. "Tell me what's wrong."

Emma swallowed, and it was a loud, clunky sound that hurt them both.

"I just..." she started, forcing back her tears before Regina could do something as kind and tender as wipe them away for her. "I just have no idea what to do next."

Regina sighed, squeezing her hand. "You're tired, and you're overwhelmed. I don't think anyone could expect you to know that. Maybe you should sleep on it and see how you feel tomorrow."

"Nothing's going to have changed tomorrow," Emma said. "He's going still going to be here, unless some other mysterious presence appears and drags him off to somewhere where there's no AT&T service."

Regina laughed against her will. After a moment, she asked, "Do you not _want_ him to be back?"

She didn't sound judgemental, which was surprising. If anything, she sounded vaguely hopeful.

Emma turned away from her, her eyes falling to look at where Regina's coat was still lying on her chair. "I don't know. I know that I _should_. And maybe I'll be grateful at some point. But right now I just feel like… Like everything was going fine, and I was doing really well without him. Why did he have to come back and make things difficult when he could have just left us all alone?"

"Do you think you'll tell him that?" Regina asked, her throat tightening. Emma glanced at her, then let her eyes drift back to the chair.

"I'm not sure," Emma admitted. "There's a chance that because of what's happened between you and me… I feel like I'm less likely to forgive him. Which is stupid, obviously – would I drop everything and rush back into his arms if I hadn't had sex since he left? I don't know."

"I don't think it's just the sex that's making you uncertain, Emma."

Emma laughed softly, squeezing Regina's hand. "No. Maybe it's not."

There was so much more she wanted to say. She wanted to tell Regina that she was uncertain because, against all odds, she was happier with her than she ever had been with him. She wanted to tell her that the sex was the best she'd ever had and, weirdly, so was the talking and the laughing and the gentle bullying that always came afterwards. She wanted to tell her that she was only so confused because of Regina, and she didn't even mind that fact – she was glad Regina had opened her eyes to what she really wanted from a relationship, because if she hadn't, maybe Emma would be back in Hook's arms already.

But she didn't say any of that, because it wasn't fair and it wasn't the right time. It wasn't what either of them needed to hear right then. Regina looked just as anxious as Emma did, and Emma suspected she understood exactly what was going on inside her head. Saying it out loud would just be another can of worms that neither one of them had the strength to close.

Emma sighed. "Maybe I do need to get some sleep."

Ignoring the tiny cracking sound from her own chest, Regina asked, "Are you going to be okay? I don't want you to drop while I'm gone."

Emma just nodded. "I'll be fine. I need some time to think."

Regina didn't reply to that, even though they both knew what she wanted to say.

With one last squeeze on Emma's hand, she got to her feet and went to collect the rest of her belongings from the chair. As she shrugged her coat on, she turned back to look at where Emma was despondently staring down at the carpet.

"Emma?" she said softly. Emma looked up, her eyes more blue than green.

"Mm?"

"Look – whatever you decide, you don't have to worry about me," Regina said. She was lying, blatantly and painfully. The words tasted acidic on her tongue. But if they meant that Emma would sleep a bit easier, or make her decision without the crushing weight of guilt piling down on top of her, she was willing to do it. "We will stay friends, okay? I'm not going to stop talking to you if you decide to put a stop to this thing between us."

Emma's face crumpled like a paper bag, and Regina couldn't tell if it was from gratitude or regret.

"Thank you," she sighed. She looked like she was going to say something else, but she didn't.

Regina straightened her coat and approached her, bending forward and pressing a soft kiss against her cheek.

"Will you call me tomorrow?" she asked, hoping she wasn't pushing her luck. "Just to tell me how it goes."

Emma's eyes were wide and pleading as they looked up at her. "Do you want me to?"

"I would like it," Regina said, her hand still lingering on Emma's cheek. "But only if you're happy to."

"Okay," Emma said, nodding. "I promise."

"Good girl," Regina said with a hint of a smile. Emma automatically smirked back at her, leaning into her touch for just a moment, before Regina finally pulled away.

As she walked towards the door, Emma suddenly called out to her, "Regina. You know that I don't _want_ to end this – right?"

Regina paused, her hand on the doorframe. "I do."

"Okay," Emma said, her heart feeling no less heavy. "I just… want you to know that."

Failing to come up with a response, Regina just nodded and made her way through the door. She exited the house with a dull ache between her legs and a much sharper one between her ribs.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:** _ _HEY GIRLS, we're back!_

_Now, I occasionally get people commenting, "This fic is good, but I don't like the rough parts." And although I do wonder why you're even reading a BDSM fic in the first place if that's the case, I would recommend you guys skip this chapter._

* * *

Emma crashed through the kitchen door with her keys still clenched in her fist. They were leaving deep grooves in her skin, but she didn't notice them.

A quick rummage in the usual places told her that she didn't have any bourbon left, and that only made her more irritated. She briefly contemplated driving to the store just to get some – and maybe some of that really rich dark chocolate that Regina had inexplicably managed to get her into – but one look at the darkening sky told her she didn't have the energy left in her. Instead, she collapsed into a chair and let her head drop down onto her folded arms.

Meeting Hook had gone just as well as she had expected – that was to say, not well at all. As soon as he slid into the booth opposite her, she could tell that he hadn't gone to sleep like she had suggested the previous evening. His clothes – the same ones he'd been wearing for the past three months, apparently – were just as rumpled as the night before, and there was a faint smell of vomit hovering about him. Emma had wrinkled her nose, aware that he was also taking in the clothes that she'd put on that morning: her darkest blue jeans, a plain black tank, and a black leather jacket that she'd bought only two weeks earlier because Regina had reluctantly confided in her that she didn't actually mind her tawdry collection of leather jackets, provided they were in colours that one could find on a real cow.

Hook had looked at her like she'd shown up wearing a garbage sack, however, and it suddenly dawned on her that he didn't actually _like_ this Emma. He liked the woman who wore florid blouses and a permanently worried expression on her face. When she was confident, she didn't need him.

"Hey," she said, ignoring his dark expression and bloodshot eyes.

"Hi," he replied, reaching out a hand and squeezing Emma's. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about last night."

Emma blinked back at him. "You are?"

"Yeah," he said. "I was… I was expecting too much from you. Of course you were surprised to see me – you probably thought I was dead or something."

He laughed at this, like it was the only possible explanation. He stopped when he realised that Emma wasn't joining in.

"I never thought that."

"You didn't?"

"No," Emma said flatly, her hand not responding to Hook's touch. "I thought you'd gotten tired of me and decided to run away without saying goodbye. Was I wrong?"

There it was again: the stormy look on Hook's face that told Emma he wasn't happy that she was suddenly talking back to him again.

"I already told you," he said slowly. "I didn't choose to leave – I was taken away. What was I supposed to do?"

Provided he was telling the truth, Emma knew there wasn't _technically_ anything he could have done. Maybe if she hadn't been so distracted by Regina, she might have even realised what had happened and gone looking for him herself. The Emma who had said yes to his marriage proposal would have done that.

But that, she realised, was the problem: she wasn't the same Emma. She was the _old_ Emma, the one who had disappeared the moment Hook has shown up on the scene all those years ago. She could feel a fire inside her that had been extinguished the day she'd agreed to give her heart to a pirate, and she realised then that she'd missed it. Regina had brought it back to her, and with it burning deep in her gut once more, she wasn't so willing to forgive him.

"I don't know, Killian," Emma sighed, pulling her hand away. "Maybe you're right – maybe this isn't your fault. But that doesn't mean I should just be expected to forgive you as soon as you snap your fingers. You really hurt me—"

"I know I did," Hook interrupted, ignoring the fact that new words had already formed on her lips. "But I'm here now and I want to make it up to you."

Emma blinked slowly and coldly.

" _But_ ," she continued as if he had never cut over the top of her, "you've been gone a long time. Months have passed. Maybe you were expecting me to sit around moping until you returned, but that hasn't happened. I was doing fine."

"Are you saying you've moved on?"

"Maybe not entirely," Emma admitted. "If I had, I wouldn't still be so pissed off with you. But yeah, I think I have a little. I've stopped thinking of you so much. I've been happy."

"Happy?" Hook demanded.

"Yes," Emma said as firmly as possibly. "Isn't that a good thing?"

She could see the conflict on his face. He knew it was a trick question – he should want her to be happy. He should be glad that her heart wasn't broken and that she hadn't spent the past three months crying over photographs of him. He loved her, and he should be pleased that she was doing okay.

But he wasn't. Emma could see the rage bubbling up inside him like hot cider.

"It didn't take you long to get over me, did it?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying I'm over you. I'm saying that I'm not jumping back into your arms just because you've asked me to."

"What _are_ you doing then?" Hook asked, slumping back in his chair. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"I actually broke up with you right before you left," Emma pointed out.

"You didn't mean that."

"Didn't I?" Emma asked. "What makes you so sure?"

"Because we were just having a fight!" Hook exploded. Several people in the diner turned to look at them. "We both said stupid stuff. There's no reason to throw away what we had because of all that."

Emma could feel her patience beginning to wear thin, but before she was forced to respond, a voice piped up from behind her.

"Hook?"

She turned to find Henry in the doorway with Snow standing awkwardly by his shoulder. Emma blinked at both of them.

"What are you doing here?"

Snow gestured weakly to Henry. "He wanted to grab a hot chocolate before I walked him back to Regina's."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Kid. Stop manipulating your grandmother into buying you things. I do know that you spend the whole day eating candy at school."

Henry didn't seem remotely interested in this topic of conversation. His eyes were still on Hook and, to Emma's surprise, they were narrowed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, repeating Emma's own question with a great deal more suspicion.

Hook tried to grin at him. "I'm back. Did you miss me?"

"No," Henry said flatly, and Emma had to force herself not to laugh. "But I saw how much my mom did. Do you have a good excuse for disappearing?"

"Kid," Emma warned. "Go easy on him, would you?"

"No," Henry snapped, taking a step toward them. "Where did you go?"

"I was taken away somewhere," Hook said with a sigh, like he was already tired of explaining this to people who should have just been willing to forgive him. "But I'm back now, and your mom and I are working through this. Aren't we, Emma?"

Before Emma turned back to look at him, she caught the glimmer of delight on Snow's face. She sighed and said, "I guess."

"Henry," Snow said, nudging the boy past their table. "Let's get that cocoa, shall we? We can talk to Emma later."

Henry's face was dark as he was guided past them. Hook tried to smile at him once more, but it wasn't reciprocated.

"Bloody hell," Hook muttered, slumping down in his chair. "No need to ask where he gets that glare from."

"Killian," Emma interrupted, running her fingers through her hair. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to give me a second chance," Hook said. "I know I left you, and I know even before I disappeared you were angry with me, but I don't see why we can't work through this – we make a good team, Swan. So let's give it another go."

Not for the first time that afternoon, Emma noticed the startling disparity between the feeling in her stomach when Hook called her by her surname and when Regina called her Miss Swan. Swallowing hard, she said, "I need some time to think about it."

There was a flicker of annoyance on Hook's face before he nodded. "Right. How much time?"

_How much time do I have?_

_As much as you need, Miss Swan. We have all night._

"I don't know, Killian," she said. "Are you in a rush to take off again?"

They were both surprised at the sharpness of her voice. Hook's mouth twitched.

"No," he said firmly. "I'm not going anywhere. I just like to know when I'm chasing a lost cause."

"If I told you I didn't want to be with you anymore, that would make me a lost cause?"

"God, Emma," Hook groaned. "Why are you being so difficult? You're starting to sound like Regina."

Emma flinched, and he noticed at once. "Don't use her as an insult, Hook. That's low."

"Fine," he said, rolling his eyes. "You want time – I'll give you that. Can I speak to you tomorrow?"

After a pause, Emma said, "I'll call you when I'm ready."

"Am I really supposed to just sit around waiting until then?" Hook demanded, and Emma smiled sadly back at him.

"If you really loved me," she said, "then yeah. That's exactly what you'd do."

His look of irritation was sickening, and she shook her head. "Go, Killian. I'll talk to you soon."

He just looked across the table at her for another moment, taking in the tight shirt she was wearing, the fresh curl of her blonde hair, the sharp eyeliner that she'd stopped bothering to apply months ago. She looked like the Emma he'd met in the Enchanted Forest, and there was something so deeply unnerving about that.

He slid out from the booth and sighed. "See you soon, then."

Emma didn't respond, and he walked out of the diner alone. As soon as she heard the door chime shut, her head fell forward into her folded arms and she groaned out loud.

It took longer than expected for someone to plonk down in Hook's abandoned seat.

"Are you going to start lecturing me now?" she asked, her words muffled by her arms. She heard Henry's sharp intake of breath.

"You're not seriously thinking of going back to him, are you?" he demanded. As Emma looked up, her eyes bleary, Snow slid into the seat next to him, mouthing her apologies.

"Is that any of your business?" Emma asked.

"Of course it is!" Henry said. "I was there when he left the first time. I saw how sad you were. Are you really going to go through that again?"

"I don't know, kid," Emma said, reaching out to steal his mug of hot chocolate. "It's complicated. Like I told him – I need some time to think."

"But, Emma," Snow said quietly, gently touching the back of her hand. "What is there to think about? He hurt you, but he's back and he's sorry. And you _love_ him."

Emma's lack of response should have told her something, but seemingly she didn't register it.

"Hook's been a jerk," Henry said, looking at his grandmother. "He broke Emma's heart. Worse than that, he _killed_ Gramps' father. Why does he deserve a second chance?"

Snow shifted uncomfortably at the mention of something that no one had been willing to bring up for the past three months. "I'm not saying he deserves one. I'm just saying that maybe Emma shouldn't be so reluctant to hear him out. We all make mistakes, after all."

"I am right here, you know," Emma pointed out between sips of cocoa. Henry snatched the mug back.

"But Emma's been doing fine recently," he said, gesturing across the table. Emma may have been a bit grey-faced that day, but it was obvious that her broken heart wasn't exactly falling apart anymore. She rolled her eyes at him. "We've all noticed it. You even said she's back to her old self."

Emma raised her eyebrows at her mother. "Did you?"

Snow's normally pale cheeks turned pink. "Yes, maybe. But if you two have true love—"

"They don't," Henry interjected. "Not once has True Love's Kiss worked for them."

"Wow, kid, way to sugar-coat it."

"Well, has it?" Henry demanded. "When you were the Dark One, he couldn't save you, even though Belle nearly managed to save Rumplestiltskin in my book. It's not like there's loads left to fight for here."

"Henry!" Snow gasped. "What's gotten into you?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Forget it. I'm going home."

"I said I'd walk you!"

"I'm fine by myself," he said, sliding out the other side of the booth and pushing his half-empty cup back towards Emma. "You can keep this."

"Kid," Emma called as he brushed past their table. She swivelled in her seat, watching him leave. Once he'd stomped off through the door, she turned back to her mother with a joyless laugh. "Well. It's great to see that him and puberty are getting along so nicely."

"He'll be fine," Snow said. She watched as Emma pulled out her cell phone. "What are you doing?"

"Warning Regina," she said, surprised to see there was already a message from the mayor on her screen.

_I hope the reunion is going okay_ – c _all me if you need anything. Also, next time we see one another, remind me to bring that book we were talking about last week - I think you'll enjoy it._

Emma's lips trembled with a reluctant smile before she hit 'reply'.

_I will, thanks. Just a heads up that there is a very moody teenager headed your way and he would probably appreciate a hot chocolate._

Regina replied within seconds, like she always did.

_Thanks_ _for the warning. Should I assume that you stole his first one?_

Emma was all ready to reply full of faux outrage, but she could feel Snow's eyes on her. She put her cell away, then looked back up at her mother.

"What?"

"Were you going to tell me that Hook is back?" Snow asked.

Emma sighed. "He showed up at my door late last night. It took me by surprise – I haven't had much time to think about it."

"I can see that," Snow said. "It doesn't look like the happy reunion went very well."

"To be honest, I'm more interested in why you're so _disappointed_ by that," Emma said. "You really want us to work it out that badly? What about what he did to David's father?"

Snow hesitated. "It's not really my place to start commenting on stuff like that. I killed my fair share of people back in the Enchanted Forest. Even David has forgiven him for what he did."

"Well, I haven't," Emma huffed, crossing her arms over her chest in a manner that so reminded Snow of the teenage daughter that she'd never gotten the chance to watch grow up. "And besides, completely ignoring the murder side of things, can we just remember how he tried to hide all of this from me even though like two days before that we'd promised each other not to keep secrets from one another? It seems like there's a whole lot of stuff that he's expecting me to forgive him for, and I don't think it's that unreasonable for me to not want to."

"No," Snow said gently, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "But, Emma. You love him."

"Mary Margaret—"

"Just hear me out," Snow interrupted. "Please. You love him and you obviously had some difficulties, but don't you think you _deserve_ to be with someone? Do you not think it's about time you settled down and stopped worrying about being the saviour and nothing else?"

Emma narrowed her eyes at her. "You think I should settle for someone who lies to me just because it's better than being single?"

Releasing a long breath, Snow said, "No. I think you should stop finding reasons to be angry at him because pushing people away is easier than letting them in."

"I'm not—"

"And," Snow interrupted yet again, making Emma grit her teeth. "I think you should consider your son's feelings, too."

"Henry?" Emma blinked, thinking about the boy who'd just treated Hook with more disdain than even she had. "What do you mean?"

"He liked Hook. Then he had to watch you get your heart broken by him, while also feeling abandoned by him himself. Of course he's upset. He put up a wall because he doesn't want to let Hook know he hurt him, but it's obvious where he got _that_ little coping strategy from."

Emma narrowed her eyes. That sounded like a classic Mary Margaret psychoanalysis on any given situation, where true love was the reason behind everything and absolutely nothing couldn't be forgiven if you tried really, really hard. But for once, Emma wasn't sure she was right. In fact, she could have laughed over how wrong she was.

"Mary Margaret," Emma said as slowly as she could. "Henry never liked Hook that much. They got on okay, probably because Henry liked having a guy around, but when Hook left, Henry didn't even seem mad. He just took care of me, because he's a really good kid."

"And do you want to put him through that again?"

"No," Emma said flatly. "And he won't have to if I don't give Hook a second chance."

"Come on," Mary Margaret groaned. "Stop cutting your nose off to spite your face. You and Hook had a good little thing going on. You're allowed to be angry with him for what he did, but don't write him off like this – if not for you, then for Henry. Just consider the chance that he might want you two back together."

Emma paused then. Although Mary Margaret's reasoning sounded like grade-A bullshit, she did have a point on that front: Henry had been through enough in his life, and he might actually have enjoyed having a stable family for five minutes. Emma and Hook made _sense_ – the princess and the pirate, the perfect happily ever after. Maybe Henry still wanted that – he sure as hell deserved it.

_But you have Regina_ , she told herself, then internally scoffed. _Sure. But for how long?_ _Regina doesn't like you like that – she's enjoying the sex because it's great, but she could have it with anyone. It's not special because of you._

She looked up to find Mary Margaret watching her carefully. She rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she said. "I'm not saying I'll take him back, but… you know. I'll give him a chance to try and make this right again."

Her mother's beaming smile made her feel a bit nauseous. "That's wonderful, Emma. Henry will be delighted."

_Will he?_ Emma asked herself. She still wasn't convinced.

And Regina. The sickness in her stomach got worse, bubbling up like fire into her chest. What was she going to tell her?

* * *

After crashing around her kitchen for 15 minutes, deliberately knocking things over and not bothering to pick them up again, Emma finally summoned the strength she needed to text her.

_Can I see you?_

She never had to wait long for a reply from Regina, but when it came, it sent nerves ricocheting through her entire body.

_Give me an hour – I need to feed the grumpy teenager you mentioned earlier._

Emma groaned, dropping her head to the table. She was dreading having this conversation, but somehow the need to see Regina right away – right at that second – was far outweighing any anxiety that might have tricked her into putting it off.

She looked up from her folded arms, spotted a vacant coaster sitting half a metre away from her, and whipped it against the wall.

* * *

"Wow," Regina said as she walked into the kitchen. Emma was sitting in exactly the same spot, surrounded by debris with her head in her hands. "Should I even bother asking how it went with Hook?"

Emma looked up at her. "Are you going to get mad at me?"

"Probably not," Regina said, sitting in the chair opposite. "Based on Henry's ranting, I have some suspicions over what you're about to tell me."

She sounded so reasonable, and it made Emma's heart hurt. Who would have thought that out of everyone, Regina – the Evil Queen herself – would have turned out the be the most patient, the most understanding, the most incredible person of all?

Emma groaned, her head thudding back down into her arms. "I promised my mom I'd give him a second chance."

Regina narrowed her eyes. "You promised your _mother_?"

"Yeah," Emma mumbled. "I haven't told Hook that yet. Our talk didn't go very well and I told him to leave, but then Henry and Mary Margaret came over and Henry was so _angry_ at him. And then he left and my mom got me all confused and I told her I'd give Hook a chance to make things right again before I wrote him off entirely."

Regina felt her eyebrows shoot up. That sounded just like the typical bullshit Snow White would come up with.

"Did Henry ask for this?"

"No," Emma said sadly. "And I just assumed he was angry because Hook left and then came waltzing back in like nothing happened. But Mary Margaret said maybe it's because he felt abandoned too, and maybe he wants a father figure."

"A father—?" Regina cut herself off before her incredulity could get the better of her. She took a deep breath. "Emma. Do you actually believe that?"

"I don't know," Emma whined, finally lifting her head again. "Maybe. No. I have no idea – but what if she's right, and Henry gets pissed at me for pushing Hook away again? What if I am just being stubborn, and I should have forgiven Hook already? The old me would have done. I don't know why I'm so reluctant to."

Regina knew why, but it wasn't her place to say it. Now when Emma was confused enough.

"What does this mean for us?" she heard herself asking. She tried not to sound sad, but it came through anyway. Emma's bright eyes flicked up to look at her.

"I have no idea," she admitted, totally despondent. "I guess if I'm… seeing how things go with Hook, maybe I shouldn't also be seeing how things go with you. But I don't _want_ to stop seeing you. I didn't ask for any of this – you know that, right? You know I don't want things to change?"

Regina offered her a small, soft smile, and that just made Emma feel worse.

"I know," she said. "And I'm not angry. I'm a little disappointed that we have to bring our arrangement to an end so abruptly, but… I guess that was always going to happen at some point. Right?"

Emma's gaze fell to look at Regina's mouth, spotting a glimmer of a white tooth as it dug anxiously into her lower lip.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "Right."

Silence fell between them, and Emma's hands began to fidget against the table. Her thumbnail was tracing along one of the wooden grooves, and her eyebrows were knitted together. Regina watched her, her heart somehow swelling and sinking at once.

"You don't look very happy."

Emma scoffed. "I'm not."

"Will you tell me why?" Regina asked as gently as she could. She was surprised when Emma responded without hesitation, her eyes flashing as she spoke.

"Because I'm really fucking angry," she said, still working on the dent in the table. "I'm angry at him for everything he did, and I'm angry at him for coming back and just expecting my forgiveness. I'm angry with him for coming back at all. Things were going great and I was basically over him, and then suddenly he's back, demanding attention and getting pissed at me when I don't want to give it to him. And then I'm angry at my mother, because even though she hasn't earned the right to give me life advice or to try and influence my decisions, she did it anyway, and because she's my mom I just automatically listened and now I'm more confused than ever."

Her rant came to an abrupt halt, but Regina could tell she wasn't done. She waited quietly, her gaze never leaving Emma's face. She told herself that she wasn't trying to memorise it.

"And then," Emma finally said, her words slower and more careful. "I'm angry because now that he's back, it means I have to stop seeing you. That's not fair. It's like I can't have the slightest sliver of happiness before someone comes along and snatches it away again, and of all people, it shouldn't be my fiancé – or ex-fiancé, or whatever the hell he is – doing that. Surely the person you love isn't meant to make things so _hard_?"

Regina swallowed, knowing it was difficult for her to give an impartial opinion on the matter. If it was up to her, she would tell Emma to dump the pirate once and for all, to tell her mother to get a hold of herself, and to tell her son that he could find a better role model if he went down to the Rabbit Hole on any given Thursday. She would have told Emma that she deserved better than that, than _all_ of that, and then she would have tugged her into the bedroom to show her just what she deserved instead.

Instead, she heard herself saying, "I'd be angry too."

Emma sniffed. "About which bit?"

"All of it," Regina said. "Especially the last part, though. I'm not happy about us having to stop seeing each other either."

There was a long pause, and then she added, "Although. _Technically_ you haven't agreed to give Hook another chance yet. As far as he's aware, you're still thinking it over."

Emma frowned at her. "So?"

"Well," Regina shrugged. She knew she should have been embarrassed by how desperate this would sound, but somehow she'd lost the ability to care. "Maybe we don't have to be over just yet. Are you going to dive right back into being engaged to him again?"

Emma's eyes were wide as she slowly began to catch on. "No. Definitely not."

"And right now, technically, you're still single. Are you not?"

"Very much so," Emma said, her gaze flicking back down to Regina's lips. "And I intend to stay that way for some time."

"Then, how about I don't say goodbye just yet?" Regina suggested as casually as she could. "I'm here now. I don't have anywhere else to be. And maybe while you're deciding what exactly it is you want – not your mother, not Hook, but _you_ – we could just…?"

She didn't finish her sentence in case Emma didn't like what she had to say, but she needn't have been worried. Already, some of the colour was creeping back into Emma's ashen face.

"Just, carry on?" she asked.

"Perhaps."

"While I'm thinking things over."

"Exactly."

"I do always have a much clearer head after we've had sex," Emma smirked, and Regina laughed with her.

"Then consider it a public service. I'm just helping you work through your issues."

Emma giggled, and it was a sound that always sounded so deliciously foreign coming from her mouth. But there was something dulling it for them both – there was something that Emma wasn't saying.

It didn't help that her face hadn't softened yet – there were harsh lines on her forehead, and the corners of her mouth were still pointing downwards.

Regina sighed. "Emma. Jokes aside – do you want me to go?"

Emma shook her head. "No."

"Then what do you want?"

She watched Emma bite her lip, the confusion and the anger piling back onto her shoulders like a bricks. She groaned.

"I don't…"

"Emma," Regina said warningly. It was a voice they both recognised all too well. "You know I don't like it when you keep things from me. Tell me what you're thinking."

She was surprised by how timid Emma managed to look as she asked, "Are you sure?"

"I am," Regina responded, lifting her chin. "What do you need?"

She saw Emma's resolve weaken for just a split second before she said, "I... need you to be forceful with me."

Regina lifted her eyebrows. "Aren't I always forceful with you?"

"No," Emma said, releasing a shaky breath. "I mean – I need you to _really_ be forceful with me. I need you to take whatever you want and not care that I'm crying and begging you to stop. I need you to be cruel."

Regina felt her heart go still for a moment. "Are you talking about a rape fantasy?"

"Not exactly. Or, maybe," Emma bit her lip. "I don't care what you want to call it. I'm just… I'm pissed off and I'm confused and I want to forget everything that's going on for a while. I just need you to really treat me like shit until I come so hard I can't remember what Hook's stupid fucking face looks like."

In spite of the fury that was pulsing through Emma's words, Regina felt the corners of her mouth quirk upwards. Then she sighed.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"Why not?" Emma asked, her voice stopping just short of being whiny. She reached out to grab Regina's hand. "I mean, if you don't like doing that stuff then fine, but—"

"No," Regina sighed, squeezing back. "I definitely don't have a problem with doing it. It's just… you're not in a great place right now and I don't want to push you harder than you should really be going."

"But I'm asking you to," Emma said quietly. "I've been thinking about it for a while anyway, but today… It's not some stupid whim. I really want this and I know it'll make me feel better."

"Not forever," Regina pointed out.

"No," Emma admitted. "Not forever. But for long enough."

Regina could feel herself wavering. All good reason told her that this was a stupid idea and one of them was probably going to get hurt by it, but the determined look on Emma's face was far more successful at weakening her resolve than any kind of common sense was at strengthening it.

Besides – she couldn't pretend that it wasn't something she'd thought about too. Whenever Emma rolled her eyes at her or belligerently gritted her teeth, something dark and toxic would creep up in her stomach. They'd been sleeping together for a few months and things had been spectacular, but Regina couldn't pretend to herself that she hadn't been wondering for a while just what Emma looked like when she was tied up and crying and begging for mercy.

Regina's mouth went dry at the thought.

"Tell me exactly what it is you'd want me to do to you."

Emma breathed out. Now Regina hadn't specifically said no, she had a chance at convincing her to say yes.

"Well," she said, edging closer to the table. "Normally leaving the specifics up to you works out pretty well for me."

Regina couldn't help but smirk. "That is true. But still – on this occasion, I'd like some details."

"Okay," Emma said, taking a deep breath. She remembered how excruciating she'd found this the first time she'd gone to Regina's house, and was surprised to realise that most of that embarrassment had disappeared entirely. "You know how I sometimes joke about you throwing me around?"

Regina swallowed. "Yes."

"I'd want that," Emma said, her eyes glimmering with need. "I would want you to push me against the wall or the bed or the floor and fuck me using whatever you wanted. I'd want you to make me cry and then laugh at me when I did."

"And what about name calling?" Regina asked slowly. "Is that on the table?"

She'd barely finished her question before Emma answered her.

"Yes," she said, then paused. "I like the name calling. I don't know why. If you called me a whore anywhere else I'd probably murder you, but when we're here…"

Regina smiled at her. She looked strangely proud. "I know. I understand – it's forbidden and you're not supposed to enjoy it, and that makes it a turn on. I get it."

Emma released a breath. "Yeah. Exactly."

"Okay," Regina said, unsurprised by how rusty her voice sounded. "What about punishment?"

Here, Emma blushed. "You slapped me in the face once."

"I did," Regina said, remembering it vividly. "Did you like it?"

"Yeah," Emma admitted softly. "I don't think I'd like it every single time. But right now, definitely. I want you to slap my face and bruise my throat and spank me so hard my ass turns purple."

Regina forced herself to take a deep breath, squeezing Emma's hand hard.

"People might see the marks."

"I'd hide them."

"We have to set boundaries," Regina said, her pussy clenching desperately around nothing. "I don't want to hurt you too badly. And I don't want you to get so overwhelmed that you forget your safe words."

"Okay," Emma conceded. "You could check in with me every now and then?"

"I will," Regina said. "And I won't use any toys today. If I'm going to hit you or fuck you, it's just going to be with my hands and my mouth."

Emma's entire body shivered. "Okay. That's fine."

"Do you want me to tie you up?"

"Yes."

"Gag you?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Blindfold?"

Emma paused, surprising Regina with a shake of her head.

"No," she said softly. "I want to see you."

Regina nodded, her heart beginning to hurt with its furious pounding. "Okay."

She paused, and Emma's eyes immediately fell down to look at her pouted lips. "Emma. This is going to get intense. You have to be sure you're ready for it."

"I am," Emma said without hesitation.

"Are you sure?" Regina prompted, leaning forwards. "I need you to really think about it. I'm going to be vicious and hurtful and I'm probably going to make you feel really bad about yourself before it starts to feel good. If you're already upset about Hook, maybe this will only make things worse."

Emma considered her words, finally looking like she was thinking clearly. She wrinkled her nose.

"It's different," she said after a moment. "I'm pissed off at Hook because he's an asshole, and I'm confused and I'm stressed out and I want a distraction. I already feel like shit because he's _made_ me feel like shit, but it won't be the same with you – if you call me a whore and choke me until I black out, it's not because you're being a selfish bastard or because you actually want to hurt me. It's because I've asked you to do it."

Regina couldn't help but laugh slightly. "You do realise that I do want to do it, though."

Emma smirked back at her. "Well, I kind of hoped so, yeah. But it's like… he hurt me because he's not good for me. You're going to hurt me in a totally different way, because you are."

Regina's heart stopped with a heavy thunk. "I…?"

She watched as Emma realised what she'd just said. She shook her head, her cheeks going pink once more. "I phrased that badly. I just mean that this is good, between us. This works for us. And all I know is that when I've spent a night with you, I feel like nothing can touch me. I really can't explain why, but this whole thing makes me feel kind of free."

Relief swept over Regina like a fire. "Free?"

"Yeah," Emma exhaled. "You're in control of me, and I trust you to do it because I know you'd never deliberately hurt me. And when you're in charge, I don't have to worry about what to do next or whether I'm about to say something stupid or what I'm going to tell my dickhead sort-of-fiancé – I can just fade out and enjoy knowing that you're focused on me, and I'm focused on you, and things are hot and painful and fucking amazing. Tonight I just… I want you to make me feel afraid. I feel shitty, and I want to feel shitty with you."

Regina didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "That's not a very convincing argument."

"No," Emma shrugged. "But it's all I've got. I can't explain it any better than that."

Regina released a breath, and for the first time since Emma had known her, Regina looked nervous.

"I want to do this too," she said. "I just don't want to hurt you – mentally or physically."

"We can start off slow," Emma said. "And if you aren't comfortable, we can stop. I just want to try it."

"You mean that? We can stop?"

"Of course," Emma said. "I'd be disappointed, obviously, but I'm not going to force you to drag me around by my hair if it makes you uncomfortable."

Those words alone made Regina's body go hot all over.

Then Emma asked, "Do you actually want to do this?"

Regina squeezed her hand once more, and answered with a question of her own. "Do you remember when you first came to my house, I told you that I could reel off a whole list of things that I wanted to do to you, most of which would probably shock you a bit?"

Emma laughed at the memory. "I do."

"This is one of them," Regina said.

"It is?"

"Yes," Regina sighed. "I probably wouldn't have ever suggested it myself, because it's dark and heavy and I didn't think you'd want to do it. I definitely never imagined that you'd ask to do it and I'd try and talk you out of it."

Emma laughed. "You have always been a bit contrary."

The sound of her laughing so freely made Regina's heart go warm, and she heard herself sucking in a breath.

"Okay," she said. Emma blinked at her. "Let's do it."

"Really?"

"Yes. But," Regina added, just like they both knew she would. "There are two conditions."

"Go on."

"One – I need you to take the safe words more seriously than usual," Regina said. "Don't refrain from saying 'red' because you want to try and push yourself harder. If you even catch yourself wondering whether you should say it, I want you to do so immediately."

Emma was smiling at her, her eyes full of gratitude and amusement and something that almost looked like love. "Okay. I promise. But you have to do the same."

"I don't have safe words."

"I know, but if you feel like you want to stop, then you should," Emma said. "Or you can say 'red' too. Just, don't force yourself to do something because you think I'll like it, even if you hate it."

"Okay," Regina said, some of her nervousness leaving her. She took a steadying breath. "Condition number two is that I want to stay here afterwards."

Emma blinked at her. "Really? Why?"

"You've been lucky and you haven't had a sub drop yet," Regina said. "But this is going to be intense, and I don't want leave you and run the risk of you sitting here by yourself and breaking down without anyone to take care of you."

"And a sub drop is…?" Emma asked.

"When a submissive crashes after sex," Regina explained. "Sometimes just because they are exhausted, sometimes because they haven't have decent aftercare, and sometimes because the scene was too intense and threw a whole load of hormones at them that their body couldn't deal with. I can't just disappear from here and leave you by yourself – if you want to do this, then I have to stay the night."

"What about Henry?"

"He'll be fine," Regina said. "As much as I try to deny it, he's all grown up now. I'll text him and tell him I'm going to have a drink with you and I'll crash at yours. He won't think anything of it."

Emma nodded. They hadn't slept together after sex yet, and she was torn between excitement and nervousness at the prospect. This was a big step, and given the current situation with Hook, it was a strange time for them to be moving forward in their relationship.

Or whatever the hell she was meant to be calling this.

"Okay," she said, trying to sound casual. "That's fine by me. If you're sure it's necessary."

"It might not be," Regina said. "But I'm not willing to risk it."

Emma's body filled up with a warmth that seemed to appear increasingly frequently whenever Regina was around. She smiled back at her.

"Alright."

"Tell me exactly how you want to do this," Regina said, reaching across the table to tilt Emma's chin towards her. "Are you going to be my submissive, like normal? Or are you going to fight me?"

Both options seemed equally appealing, and Emma felt a shiver creep through her. "Is it possible to do both?"

Regina smirked at her. "I'm sure we can manage that somehow. Let's just see how we go. Is that okay?"

Emma was already nodding.

"Is there anything that you don't want me to do?" Regina asked.

"Well," Emma said, considering it. She paused before saying, "I'm still not ready for real anal stuff. Not today, anyway."

Regina smiled. "Did you really think I'd make you try that for the first time now?"

"No. That's just the only thing I can think of," she admitted. Then she added, "Oh, and if you're going to grab hold of my hair, can you not pull too hard? It's breaking really easily at the moment. I think it's the cold weather."

Regina was watching her with a kind of fond bemusement that Emma was slowly getting used to seeing on her dark features. She suddenly lifted Emma's hand off of the table and pressed a kiss against her knuckles.

"I can definitely do that," she said softly. "We don't want to ruin your beautiful hair. Is there anything else?"

"I don't think so," Emma said, her eyebrows stitching together. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Is there anything you don't want to do?"

Regina blinked, surprised. "Well. I'd prefer not to get any hickies on my neck, since I've got a big meeting tomorrow and I'd planned to wear my new black dress."

"The one with the pencil skirt?" Emma asked wistfully. Regina laughed.

"Yes, that one."

"I like that a lot."

"Well then," Regina replied, tilting her head to one side. "Maybe I can wear it for you sometime."

And without meaning to, Emma thought about how many more times they would be meeting up like this. Hook was back, and everything was about to change. If she really did decide to give him a chance, that probably wouldn't involve her secretly screwing the mayor in between couples therapy sessions.

Her face fell, and Regina immediately knew what she was thinking. She reached out a hand, cupping Emma's chin and rubbing a thumb along her jawline.

"I think you were right," she said quietly, waiting for Emma to meet her gaze. "You do need a distraction."

Emma smiled weakly. "I do."

"Would you like me to help you out with that?"

"Yes please," Emma said, and they both heard the pleading tone in her voice. It made Regina's muscles tremble.

"Very well," she said. "Then let me just go and text Henry. I'll be upstairs in a moment."

They left the kitchen together. Once they were in the hall, Regina leaned forwards and kissed Emma softly on her lips. Then Emma hurried up the stairs, nerves licking at her stomach like flames, and headed for her bedroom. As soon as she was inside, she grabbed something out of the second drawer of her dresser and rushed into the bathroom. She shut the door behind her, just in case Regina was quicker than she was.

* * *

Once Regina was sure that Henry didn't mind her staying out – as predicted, he didn't seem suspicious or even really that interested in what his two mothers were up to – she threw her cell back into her purse and took a deep breath. She hadn't been lying to Emma – this was something she'd wanted to try for months. Years. She'd thought about it countless times, initially during her angrier moments when Emma had simply been Sheriff Swan and she'd been refusing to do as she was told. Regina would imagine storming into her office and fucking her into submission, enjoying the way that she would cry and beg and promise to behave from now on. But later, as the true nature of their relationship became clearer and Emma grew more and more accustomed to her submissive role, Regina found herself imagining the same scenarios with a vein of tenderness running through them. There was something so inexplicably intimate about the way Emma would lean into her touch when they were together, her cheeks slick with tears, and beg Regina to fuck her just one more time. A little bit harder. Just for a moment longer.

She shivered, looking at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were already flushed.

The situation with Hook was a mess. She was trying not to think about it, or about what it really meant for her and Emma. They'd only just gotten to know each other – only just gotten into this amazing, filthy routine – and now Captain Guyliner and all his misogynistic baggage was back to ruin things, as he always was.

Regina had seen the conflict in Emma's eyes. She knew that she wasn't sure what to do, although there was a creeping dread in her stomach that told her exactly what was going to happen next: her mother had given her terrible advice, and Emma was so used to trying to do the right thing for the sake of everyone around her that she was probably going to listen to it. Now, in Regina's weakest moments in the middle of the night, she knew she would dream about a day when Emma would tell Hook to leave again, and would come back to Regina instead.

But she couldn't dwell on that right then, because it was ridiculous. Emma had said yes to Hook's marriage proposal months before because she'd loved him, and she wouldn't give that up just for a weekly screw with the mayor. She was better than that. She _deserved_ better than that.

Regina glanced in the mirror again and sighed. In spite of all her self-loathing and problems with herself, she knew she would treat Emma better than Hook did. But like hell was she about to say that – not when Emma was confused enough already.

She straightened her shoulders. Emma wanted to forget all about this, and so that's exactly what she would help her do. She would spend the night torturing and worshipping her beautiful body until Emma couldn't remember her own name. Then, tomorrow, when they woke up together for the first – and possibly last – time, they could start worrying again.

Leaning in to the mirror, Regina used one finger to tidy the edges of her red lipstick. Then, pushing the doubt and the sadness from her mind, she walked towards the stairs, letting her familiar veil of control drape itself over her.

* * *

She stopped in her tracks when she reached the bedroom. Emma was there, waiting for her in the centre of the room. She'd put on more make-up – she'd once confessed to Regina that she took mascara tracks running down her cheeks to be the sign of a really good night between them – and Regina could smell her perfume from the door. But her mind didn't dwell on those facts for too long, because her eyes were already dropping, taking in the outfit that Emma had changed into in her absence.

She was wearing a plunging, long-line black bra. Its see-through lace cups left very little to the imagination and allowed the full curve of her breasts to swell over the top. The sharp dip of cleavage between them sucked all the moisture from Regina's mouth. Her gaze fell further and found that Emma had neglected her favourite thongs for the night – instead, she was wearing a pair of lacy boy-cut panties that allowed the lower portion of her asscheeks to arc out deliciously from beneath the fabric. She looked stunning, and she looked nervous.

Regina just stared at her for a moment. She found herself drowning under the overwhelming urge to cry.

"What do you think?" Emma asked, and she sounded so hopeful that Regina snapped out of her trance.

She felt her posture growing taller, her eyes getting darker, as she asked, "Where have you been hiding this, Miss Swan?"

Emma's smile slipped. "I was saving it for a special occasion."

"I see," Regina said, turning to close the door. No one else was in the house, but she snapped the lock shut for good measure. "And why does tonight constitute as special?"

"Because you're going to do whatever you want to me," Emma said quietly, her hands clasped behind her back. "And I… I wanted to be good enough for you."

If Regina hadn't already slipped into her role, she would have rushed forward and kissed the anxious look off of Emma's face.

"Well, I appreciate the thought," she said, taking a leisurely step towards her. "Because I'm going to do exactly that. I'm going to fuck you to within an inch of your sanity, and then I'm probably going to fuck you again. Will you try and stop me?"

"No, Madam Mayor."

"Good," Regina said, taking another step. "Even if you wanted to, I wouldn't be listening. I don't have time for your hysterics tonight."

Emma didn't respond. She'd learned by now what she was expected to reply to and what she wasn't.

Regina finally reached her, and she lifted a hand towards Emma's face. She trailed the tip of one finger down Emma's cheek, enjoying just how warm her skin was. She could feel the faint tremor of her jaw.

She paused, assessing the woman standing in front of her. Her chin was lifted with the same glimmer of defiance that she had fallen for all those years ago.

Then, without even the slightest warning, Regina's hand slid downward, wrapping around Emma's throat. Startled, Emma let herself be pushed back the five steps it took to reach the wall. She thudded against it, feeling Regina's grip on her neck tighten.

Regina's lips came down against her own, kissing the breathless surprise from her mouth. The full length of her body pressed Emma into the wall, her left hand pinning Emma's wrist by her waist. She loosened her grip on Emma's throat ever so slightly, allowing some of her blood to rush back into her head, and continued kissing her, her tongue grazing lazily over Emma's and her teeth occasionally stopping to dig into her lower lip.

Emma moaned, her free hand coming up to rest on Regina's waist so she could tug her closer. She felt Regina's fingers get tighter on her wrist, but she didn't tell her to stop. Instead, she slid a leg between Emma's trembling thighs, giving her five seconds to grind her pelvis against it before she abruptly pulled away.

She looked down at Emma from her towering heels and she sneered. Without a word, her hand hooked around from Emma's throat to the back of her neck and pulled her away from the wall, tugging her in the direction of the bed.

Emma stumbled along beside her and found herself being pushed viciously onto the mattress. She gasped as she fell, her limbs tangled and her cheeks going hot. Her stomach had barely made contact with the sheets before two hands grabbed her ankles and tugged her backwards, dragging her towards the edge of the mattress. She yelped as she moved, the feeling of her pussy grinding along the duvet sending sparks shooting through her limbs, and Regina immediately slapped a hand against her ass at the noise.

"Shut up," she said, tossing her feet away. They only just touched the floor. Emma wriggled, her hips trapped awkwardly over the cusp of the mattress, and she lifted her head to try and adjust her position. At once, a hand came down on the side of her face, roughly forcing it back against the bed.

"Did I tell you to move?"

Emma swallowed, Regina's fingers still splayed possessively over her face. "No, Madam Mayor."

"Then why did you?"

"I was…" Emma started. Regina's tone was so much colder than normal, and it sent a twist of panic through her stomach that spiralled down into a deep, low pleasure in her groin. "I was uncomfortable."

"Good," Regina said, releasing her face with a shove. "I don't want you to be comfortable."

She stalked past Emma, but she paused to lean down and tug her hips back by another inch as she moved. She saw Emma's back relax slightly, her position no longer hurting her, and she kept walking without a word.

She approached Emma's closet and threw open the doors, rummaging around in the bottom for something that Emma couldn't see from her position on the bed. Normally Regina talked to her when she was doing this – even if it was just to throw insults over her shoulder at her – but tonight there was only silence, and it meant all Emma could focus on was the scuffling sound of shoes being moved around and the drumming in her own ears.

She had asked Regina to make her feel afraid. It was already working.

Eventually Regina returned to the bed, an object in either hand. She dropped one on the sheets by Emma's hip, but before Emma had time to get a glimpse of it, a length of fabric was being hooked over her face.

"Open your mouth," Regina ordered, and she did as she was told. Regina slipped the folded scarf between her lips and pulled it taught, tying a knot behind her head. The long tails of the fabric cascaded down Emma's shoulders, making her shiver.

"Take this as a reminder that I don't want to hear any noise from you," Regina said, making sure the gag was secure. They both knew that it wouldn't really stop her from talking or crying out – it was nothing more than a stretch of fabric wedged between her teeth. But that wasn't the point of it: the point was to incapacitate Emma as much as possible, to confuse her, to humiliate her. Already Emma could feel saliva building up behind it, and she knew that it wouldn't be long before she was a shaking, drooling mess.

She learned what the second object was when Regina grabbed hold of both her wrists and crossed them over at the small of her back. She hissed when cold leather, followed by even colder metal, landed against her skin.

"Tonight, you are my toy to play with," Regina said, looping the belt around and around Emma's wrists, securing it as tightly as the hard leather would allow. "Nothing more. I don't expect you to get anything out of this. I'm going to use you however I see fit. Do you understand?"

Emma nodded, breathing heavily through her nose. But her affirmation wasn't good enough for Regina, who leaned forward and grabbed a fistful of Emma's hair. She pulled her head up off of the bed, staring coldly into her face, and spat out, "I said, do you understand?"

"Yes, Madam Mayor," Emma mumbled from behind the gag. Regina scoffed, dropping her again.

"Useless," she scolded, and though Emma tried to muffle it with the bed sheets, she heard her faint groan. "Show me your signal."

Emma automatically opened and closed her hands. As she moved, the muscles in her shoulders twitched, and Regina felt a familiar tug deep within her stomach.

But lurking somewhere behind that throb of arousal was something darker and much more tantalising. She loomed over Emma's body, taking in her bound wrists and perfectly sculpted ass, her beautiful blonde curls viciously slashed through the middle with a length of black fabric, and she forced herself to take a steadying breath. It would be all too easy to lose control of herself tonight – no matter what Emma demanded from her, she had to be careful.

She slowly reached out and placed a hand on Emma's backside, loving the way that she jumped at her touch. Emma was normally cold, but tonight her skin was warm and flushed, the anticipation breaking out of every cell in her body.

Regina lifted her palm and brought it sharply back down, shivering when Emma hissed from behind her gag with a mixture of pain and pleasure. She spanked her again and again, harder with each blow, never moving from that same, tiny spot, watching the way Emma's body began to buck against her touch. Her skin slowly turned pink, then red, with the white outlines of Regina's fingers appearing through the fire like cherry blossoms. She chuckled before bending down and digging her teeth into that same spot, pinning Emma's hips to the bed when she tried to wriggle away.

"Stop moving," Regina hissed, slapping her hard across the back of one thigh, and then the other. The bite marks she left in her ass cheek were deep and dark, and Regina couldn't help but lean towards them and run the flat of her tongue over the dents.

Emma's hips were worming forwards against the jutting edge of the mattress, her hands curled into tight fists behind her back. She wished she were better at hiding how aroused she was, but it was something that she failed at time and time again when Regina's hands were on her. Now, the almost agonising sting in her left ass cheek was only making things harder, pushing her higher up the sadistic peak on which she somehow found her release.

Regina spotted the movement at once and growled, slapping her so hard across the other side of her ass that she herself almost hissed from the pain that shot through her palm.

"I said, stop moving," she spat, ignoring Emma's wail of pain. She leaned over Emma's body, snaking an arm below her hips, and abruptly tugged her backwards so that she was forced to her feet. She pressed her body hard against Emma's back, her left hand reaching up to grip hold of her throat. She heard Emma's gargle of discomfort as her head was tilted back against Regina's temple.

After a pause, Regina's hand slipped down the front of her body, skimming over her taut stomach muscles and delving beneath the lacy fabric of Emma's panties without preamble. Emma groaned, feeling those cool fingers skimming over her pussy, and ground back against Regina's body.

"You're already wet," Regina muttered into her ear. She laughed before adding, "It doesn't take much, does it?"

Those words alone sent another wave of moisture leaking from Emma's cunt. It dribbled down onto Regina's lazy fingers, which were swirling around her clit like she had all the time in the world. Forcing herself not to wriggle, Emma sucked in a breath, trying to steady herself. Her legs were trembling from the overwhelming need to come all over Regina's fingers, and she desperately needed to avoid doing that.

But before she could get too lost in the sensation, Regina snatched her hand away again, bringing it up to Emma's mouth and tugging the gag away just so she could force her fingers between her lips. When Emma choked slightly, Regina chuckled in her ear, pushing her fingers deeper. Emma sucked in a breath through her nose and licked them clean, blinking through the spotty feeling of Regina's other hand pressing down on her throat as she savoured the taste of herself. The two sensations combined to create a heady rush that almost tipped her over the edge.

Regina seemed to read her body perfectly, because she pulled her fingers free, wiping the saliva that trailed off of them onto Emma's already damp chest, and nudged her back towards the bed. She guided her up onto the mattress and positioned her in the centre, shakily kneeling with her hands still locked into fists behind her back.

The moment Emma felt Regina climb up behind her and kneel against her back, her breathing stopped. A hand reached around in front of her and slapped at the insides of her thighs, nudging them further apart, and she gladly complied. That same hand then trailed upwards, reaching for the gag that was now hanging like a noose around her throat and putting it back in its rightful place between her teeth.

"Remember what I said," Regina murmured in her ear, biting down on the skin just below it hard enough to make Emma hiss. "I don't want to hear a word out of you. I expect you to just take it."

Emma nodded, her curls brushing over her shoulders, and let her head fall forwards. She did it so she would be able to watch when Regina resumed touching her again but, unsurprisingly, Regina caught wind of her plan at once. Her hand reached around and gripped hold of her throat once more, forcing her head back.

"Stay in this position," Regina muttered. Her voice was low and gravelly, rolling in like the sound of a storm, and Emma felt her pussy clench all over again. She whimpered softly enough that she hoped Regina wouldn't hear her, and she waited diligently for Regina's next move.

She wasn't left waiting for long. With her left hand still loosely gripping Emma's throat, Regina let the other snake around to her stomach, her nails tiptoeing down the trembling flesh to the waistband of her lace panties. Emma sucked in a breath as she felt them creep inside, her index finger ever so slowly gliding through her wetness.

"You're absolutely drenched," Regina said, her knuckles grazing over the soaked fabric. Emma's muscles squeezed at the admonishment in her tone. "Just when I think you can't get any more desperate, you manage to surprise me."

Her fingers had stilled, and it took every scrap of energy left in Emma's body not to grind forward against them. She gritted her teeth against the gag, feeling the muscles in her thighs and her buttocks beginning to shake. Regina chuckled, bending forward to kiss a bead of sweat away from Emma's shoulder.

"There you go again," she said softly. "So desperate to be fucked. Do you want these fingers inside you, Miss Swan?"

Emma's head nodded wildly. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but she could feel them stinging from the urge to cry.

Regina responded by dipping one finger inside her, letting Emma's wetness slick over it, before dragging it back up towards her clit. As she circled it, she felt Emma's body begin to shake against her, her thighs slowly dropping to rest on her heels because they simply couldn't hold her up any longer.

Regina let her settle into her new position, looking down between them at where Emma's hands were tied to make sure she wasn't signalling, before pressing her fingers back down on Emma's clit. She let out a soft moan, her head falling further back, and Regina tightened her grip on her throat.

"That's it," she murmured, her lips pressed hotly against her ear as her fingers began to circle. "Show me how badly you want this."

Emma was already letting out soft gasps, her hips rolling forward against Regina's steady hand. She could feel a deep burn beginning to build inside her, twisting down in her groin in a way that made her entire body feel weightless, and she knew she was close already. Regina's fingers were barely moving – instead, they were mostly just pressed hard against Emma's clit while Emma herself did the work. She didn't care. As she ground forwards, her airway getting narrower as Regina's grip on her throat tightened, white starbursts began to flash up behind her eyelids, and it took every ounce of self-restraint she had not to cry out loud.

She came in a hot, sharp burst, with tremors shooting through her muscles and her cunt pulsing desperately against Regina's hand. She gasped, feeling her wetness dripping down into her panties, and leaned back against Regina's shoulder, her eyes wide and glassy and fixed on the ceiling.

Regina didn't wait for her to recover before she pulled her hand free and violently shoved her forwards, watching with satisfaction as Emma's limp body bounced against the mattress.

"Did I give you permission to come?" she snarled, and a hiccup of fear escaped from Emma's chest. Emma twisted round as Regina crawled on top of her, her eyes flashing. She grabbed hold of Emma's face, squeezing hard, and asked, "Well?"

Emma shook her head as well as she could, panic wrenching through her as a dark cloud of disgust crossed over Regina's face.

"I didn't think so," she said, pulling away. "Get on your stomach. Now."

Emma did so, slowly and awkwardly, her cunt throbbing from the impact of Regina's words. She rolled over, damp wisps of hair sticking to her forehead and cheeks, and immediately felt a pair of hands gripping the waistband of her panties. They were tugged from her body with enough force to leave scratches down her thighs.

Regina settled between her spread legs and placed a hand on Emma's bound wrists, pinning them against her back. Her other hand came slapping down against Emma's cunt with such speed and ferocity that for a moment Emma didn't even register what had happened. When she did – the pain suddenly stinging through the haze that surrounded her body – she screamed, bucking her hips to try and get Regina off of her.

"Stop that," Regina spat. "It was going to be three, but now I think we'll take it up to five."

Emma blinked through the tears that had begun to fill her eyes, trying to shake herself back to full consciousness. _Five slaps? Five what?_

But before she could piece the words together, she felt two of Regina's fingers sliding back into her pussy, pumping hard, not bothering to gradually increase her rhythm when she knew Emma was already desperate to come a second time. Emma let out a long, animalistic moan and lifted her hips away from the bed, giving Regina better access to her aching cunt. Regina laughed to herself, pushing her fingers deeper, taking her other hand away from Emma's wrists and instead using it to roll over Emma's clit again and again and again.

She could see Emma's body starting to tremble, and she could tell from the high-pitched cries that were escaping from her lips that she was close, dangerously close, to coming again. Regina kept going, adding a third finger, fucking her furiously until she saw Emma's shoulders beginning to tremor, her muscles dancing below her skin as she braced herself for the wave of pleasure that was creeping towards her. It was at that exact moment that Regina pulled her fingers free and slapped Emma hard across the ass instead, ruining her orgasm in the cruellest way possible.

Emma wailed into the sheets, her legs thrashing, and pleaded with her body to find its own way over the edge. But she'd missed the peak by the tiniest of inches, and Regina was laughing behind her. She knew Emma would have screamed at her if she wasn't already screaming to herself.

"That's one," Regina purred, rubbing her wet palm over Emma's ass. "Four more to go."

By the end of those five long, painful, ruined orgasms, Emma was destroyed. Great sobs were heaving from her body and thick, black tears were streaming down her cheeks. The wetness from her cunt had dribbled down onto the bed and there was a dark patch below her hips, and the handprints on her ass were fierce and red and raw. Regina sat back and admired them, her pussy clenching as Emma pleaded with her through her gag.

"Oh dear," she murmured, leaning forwards and dragging her tongue along the hot skin of Emma's thighs. "Did you not enjoy that?"

Emma continued to wail, violently shaking her head against the sheets. Regina continued on her path along her body, pressing a kiss against the beautiful curve where the back of her thigh met her bruised ass, then carried on upwards, gently nipping at her bound arms, her straining back, her sweating shoulders. When she reached her neck, she sighed, and she felt Emma shiver beneath her.

"Check in with me," she murmured into her ear. She reached round for the gag and pulled it from her mouth. "Where are we?"

Emma's voice came back to her, shaken and soft. "Green."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Regina purred, pushing Emma's damp hair away from her face. "No matter how much you complain, I can tell. You want me to carry on. Don't you?"

Emma nodded, her eyes squeezing shut. There were dark mascara stripes on the sheets below her face.

"Get up, then," Regina said, climbing off of her. She watched as Emma struggled onto her knees, then immediately crumbled back down to the bed.

Regina gently hooked an arm around her waist and hoisted her up, guiding her towards the edge of the mattress. When she had finally managed to climb down, Regina whispered in her ear, "On your knees. At the foot of the bed."

She wasn't surprised by how readily Emma fell to the carpet, her head hanging forwards. She positioned herself where Regina told her to, never lifting her chin. Her shoulders were still rising and falling frantically from the worst 15 minutes of her life, but her crying had slowly begun to stop.

Regina followed and perched herself at the edge of the mattress, crossing her legs just inches from Emma's face. She surveyed her: the scarf that was hanging around her neck was wet, and there was saliva running all down her chin and throat. When Regina looked further down, she saw a delicious shimmer smeared across the insides of Emma's trembling thighs.

When she chuckled, Emma's eyes fluttered closed. Regina hesitated.

"Are you sure you're on green?" she asked, uncrossing her legs and leaning forward. Emma nodded.

"Emma," Regina warned, reaching out for her chin and lifting it upwards. She was startled by just how teary Emma's eyes were when they met hers. "Are you certain?"

Emma nodded again, and it was impossible to miss the sincerity in her gaze. "I'm certain, Madam Mayor."

"Do you need me to slow down?"

"No," Emma said, her voice trembling. "I… I need more."

"More?" Regina asked, her eyebrows shooting up. "My, my. You are a greedy girl. Are you going to ask nicely?"

"Please, Madam Mayor. I need you to fuck me."

"Well. That _was_ nicely. But it's not all about you, Miss Swan. Don't you think I want to come too?"

Emma blinked, her cheeks going pink. "Yes, Madam Mayor."

"Are you going to help me with that?"

"Yes, Madam Mayor."

"Good girl," Regina said, running a hand tenderly over Emma's damp hair. "I think by then you will have learned your lesson, don't you?"

"Yes, Madam Mayor."

"Very good," Regina purred, her hand trailing down to the loose fabric around Emma's neck. "We'll need you ungagged for that, but please don't think this means I'm ready to hear you talking again. Do you understand?"

Emma nodded, not falling into the trap Regina had laid out so neatly for her, and felt her whole body go warm when Regina smiled proudly down at her.

"Well done," she said, her fingers edging down the wet scarf until she had the long end in her hand. She pulled, and Emma gasped at the sudden pressure on her throat as she was led forwards.

The skirt of Regina's dressed had ridden up, and she reached down with her spare hand to pull it up higher. Emma caught a flash of her red underwear from underneath it and moaned, her mouth watering.

With the same hand, Regina pulled her panties to one side and spread her legs as far as her tight dress would allow. Her other hand tugged Emma closer, pulling her face roughly between her thighs.

"Get to work, Miss Swan," Regina said, leaning back on one hand. Emma did so at once, her eyes open and staring lovingly up at Regina's face as she began to slide her tongue over her velvety skin. Regina sighed, her head falling backwards, and she pulled harder on the scarf so that she could crush Emma's mouth against her cunt.

"Oh, that's very good," she murmured, knowing that praise only made Emma wetter, and ground her hips forward. She felt Emma's tongue glide over her clit, gently at first, then more forcefully as she watched the pleasure flicker over Regina's face.

Regina moaned louder, the excitement and anticipation of the past half hour burning through her flesh until she realised with a jolt that she was already close to coming. She could feel the walls of her pussy desperately clenching, her thighs trembling as they struggled to stay apart. Emma latched onto her clit and sucked, slowly increasing the intensity until she heard the familiar mewing sounds coming from Regina's throat. Regina pulled harder on the scarf around Emma's neck, leaning heavily on her spare hand, and lifted her hips to meet Emma's probing mouth. When the sucking reached its peak and Emma suddenly stopped, pressing the flat of her tongue against her clit and dragging it upwards as roughly as the angle would allow, Regina cried out, her legs tensing against the sides of Emma's face and her cunt flooding with relief. Emma kept licking, moving her face up and down to let the tip of her nose graze over her throbbing nerves, until eventually Regina pushed her face hard, forcing her back onto her heels.

Regina fell back against the sheets, her chest rising and falling and her legs still spread wide. Emma stared at the beautiful sight before her, her stomach twisting with desire, and tried desperately hard not to wriggle.

After a full minute of trying to catch her breath, Regina forced herself to sit back up. Reaching out for the gag that was serving so nicely as a leash with which to drag Emma around the room, she pulled her back towards the bed, leaning forwards to meet her sticky lips for a deep, desperate kiss.

"That was very good, Miss Swan," she breathed, her words still shaky. She could taste herself on Emma's mouth, and it made her feel weak. "Very good indeed."

Emma was staring up at her with such devotion in her watery eyes that for a second, Regina nearly abandoned her role entirely. But then she caught the wobble of her jaw, the impatience in her twitching eyelid, and she smirked.

She glanced down: Emma's legs were squeezed together, and even from where she was sitting, Regina could see the effort that was going into not rocking back and forth. Her cunt was still swollen and dripping from all the orgasms she hadn't quite managed to claim for herself yet, and though she wasn't asking with words, it was obvious that she was pleading with her eyes for Regina to finally, finally stop torturing her and just give her what she needed.

Regina gently stroked her cheek and leaned forwards, pressing her mouth against her ear.

"Again."

Emma was well trained enough by then to know not to groan, but she came close. When Regina pulled away from her, her expression was the just as she'd expected: desperate. Emotional. Painfully aroused.

Regina laughed, leaning back on her hand, and tugged on the fabric that Emma was slowly starting to hate more than anything else in the world.

But, to her credit, she didn't hesitate before burying her face back between Regina's legs. It felt different this time – Regina could feel her determination to make her come as hard and as fast as possible as she attacked Regina's clit, letting her front teeth graze over it while her tongue delved as deep inside her as possible. Regina gasped, wishing that Emma's hands weren't still bound so she could fuck her as hard as she clearly wanted to, but as soon as it had come, the thought vanished. Emma's eyes had fluttered closed and she was sloppily, aggressively licking all around and over Regina's still-tender clit, and the sensation was overpowering. She moaned, letting go of the scarf so she could bury her fingers in Emma's hair, and held her tight against her pussy. The wet sucking sounds coming from between her legs were almost as arousing as the feeling of Emma's tongue swirling over every inch of her, and she felt that familiar weightlessness in her limbs and gut returning to her.

When she tumbled back onto the bed, Emma stayed exactly where she was. Her resolve hardened, and she pressed herself more firmly against her mistress's cunt. Her jaw was aching and her own pussy was throbbing so painfully she could have screamed, but she continued her ministrations, flicking the tip of her tongue over Regina's clit again and again, faster and faster, until she finally came with a noise that was half a cry and half a scream.

Regina placed a shaky hand on Emma's forehead, pushing her back, and waited for her breath to come back to her. She could hear Emma panting. Blinking through the stars that were dancing across her eyes, Regina forced herself upright, her hair messed up at the back and her dress hitched shamelessly around her waist. Emma was watching her, red in her cheeks and wet all across her mouth and chin.

Regina reached forward, wiping the bottom half of Emma's face clean with the palm of her hand, before she released another shaky breath.

"You did so well," she said. Emma flushed with pleasure at the praise, but she didn't reply – ungagged or not, she knew that was still off the table. "That lovely mouth of yours is very talented."

She caught a glimmer of a tear in Emma's eye at that, and she leaned forward to take her chin in her hand. Her eyebrows lifted with something that looked like sympathy, but Emma knew all too well that it wasn't. "Is something wrong?"

Emma's jaw immediately went hard, but she shook her head. The wetness between her thighs was beginning to tickle, and she fought to ignore it.

"You're lying to me," Regina said softly. "Let me try and guess what it is. Are you getting tired?"

Emma didn't respond, not with words nor with a shake of her head. Regina could see her face growing dark, and some sick, sadistic part of her fell in love with it.

"No?" Regina said, pretending to think. "Ah, I've got it. Your legs are starting to hurt."

Emma glared at her, and Regina carried on talking.

"I thought that a slut like you would be used to spending so much time on your knees by now," she said conversationally, loving the way Emma's forehead began to crease. "But I have been known to be wrong sometimes."

"I need to _come_ , Madam Mayor," Emma snapped at her, her fists clenched behind her back. She knew the penalty for talking back to Regina, but fuck, she didn't care. Regina could pummel her ass into next week if she wanted to – anything would be better than the unsatisfied itch that she'd been battling against for the past half hour. Every muscle in her body was aching from the sheer need to be fucked properly, and even though her cunt had gone neglected ever since Regina had pulled her off the bed, seemingly it hadn't got the memo that it was time to stop expecting anything. It was still pulsing and clenching, her own wetness dribbling down her thighs and onto her crossed ankles, and she wanted to scream with frustration and need.

She should have known that asking Regina to do whatever she wanted to her wouldn't have ended well. Regina was too smart for that – she always had been.

At that moment, her eyebrows were slowly lifting, her eyes cold and staring down at the woman kneeling before her.

"Repeat that," she said. There was no expression in her voice, and that scared Emma more than anything.

"I…" she started, shivering through another wave of desperation. Her voice had lost all of its sharpness when she said, "I need to come, Madam Mayor. Please."

Regina just watched her for a moment, somehow still dignified even with her legs spread, her panties pushed to one side, and her lipstick smeared slightly onto one flushed cheek. Then she moved quicker than Emma had even seen someone move before: her hand shot out and grabbed Emma by her cheeks, her face leaning forwards to press their noses together.

"Since _when_ have I allowed you to talk to me like that?" she hissed. Emma whimpered, her hips rolling back of their own accord.

"I…"

"No," Regina interrupted, suddenly releasing Emma's face and slapping her hard across the cheek. Emma gasped, her head snapping to the side. _Oh, God._ A thick flood of wetness leaked from her pussy and she fought not to moan. "Don't you _dare_. I didn't give you permission to talk, and I certainly didn't give you permission to speak to me in that belligerent tone. How dare you use that filthy mouth of yours to talk back to me?"

She reached down to Emma's neck, grabbing hold of the damp gag, and forced it back up over her chin.

"Put this back in," she snapped. Blinking back flustered tears, Emma did as she was told. As soon as the fabric was in place, Regina reached for Emma's shoulder and gave her a vicious shove.

Emma fell back with a squeak, landing on her side just a foot away. Regina stood up, pausing for a moment to pull her dress back into place, and sneered down into Emma's panic-stricken face.

"Let me guess," she murmured, stepping close enough for the sharp toes of her shoes to rest just a breath away from Emma's face. "You thought that if you goaded me enough, I would punish you, and that might give you some relief."

Emma peered up at her, then quickly looked away again. Regina scoffed.

"I thought so," she said, stepping over Emma's body and walking two paces away. When she turned back, she could see every delicious sinew under Emma's skin as she lay helpless on the floor, her arms bound and her head desperately trying not to look back at her. "You really are incredibly easy to read, Miss Swan. It must be because there are so few thoughts knocking around in that pretty little head of yours."

She went quiet for a moment, and Emma sucked in a breath. Then she heard the tell-tale click of Regina's knees as she slowly crouched down behind her. Her hand reached out and pushed away the wet hair that was stuck to Emma's face, and Emma shivered under her touch.

And then she was gone again, stepping over Emma's body once more like she was nothing more than a piece of trash in her path. Emma watched as she approached the bed, her ass so perfectly sculpted beneath her tight dress, and squeezed her legs harder.

"I _am_ going to punish you," Regina said, turning back to face her. Emma was expecting her to sit back down on the edge of the bed, but she was wrong. Instead, Regina lowered herself down to the carpet, pressing her back primly against the bedpost. "But not in a way that you will get any kind of enjoyment from."

Emma felt like her brain was overheating when Regina reached beneath her dress and began to peel her panties off. Once they had been removed, she tossed them in Emma's direction, watching as they landed just millimetres from her gagged mouth.

"You are going to watch this," Regina said, spreading her legs once more. Her heeled feet were planted firmly against the carpet, and from her position barely a metre away on the floor, Emma had no choice but to look directly between her thighs. "If I catch you trying to look away, or trying to pleasure yourself in any way, I will leave you tied up there for the rest of the night. Do not test me, Miss Swan – you asked me to treat you like shit, so that is exactly what I plan to do."

Emma whimpered, sick desire twisting through her abdomen as Regina lifted her hand to her mouth and slowly sucked on two fingers. When they slipped back down her body, finding their way automatically to her soaked pussy, the fabric stuffed in Emma's mouth was the only thing stopping her from wailing out loud.

Regina dipped her fingers into her drenched cunt and sighed, letting her head tip back against the bed. She was still tender from the two orgasms she'd had only minutes before, and she thought that maybe she would struggle to work herself back up to another one. But she was so deliciously wrong: with Emma's pleading eyes fixed between her legs and her taut, muscular body bound and unmoving, Regina felt a whole new type of pleasure surge through her. She groaned, only slightly exaggerating for Emma's sake, and pulled her fingers free, drawing them slowly over her clit and shivering as she felt it pulse back to life.

Emma was blinking hard, and Regina knew that she was close to tears. Her legs were squeezed tightly together and she was breathing fast, her gaze glassy and hard as she watched Regina's fingers start to move faster.

"If only you knew how good this feels," Regina gasped, her hips bucking up off of the carpet. Emma could see the sheen of wetness on her fingers and watched with her heart in her throat as it was spread further and further around her pussy, glistening off the insides of her thighs. She groaned, biting down hard on the scarf, and willed herself not to cry. _Don't let her win. Don't let her beat you down._

Except Regina had already won, and they both knew it. Emma's entire body was trembling from the need to find a release, and what had originally started as a mere irritation between her legs was slowly spiralling into something that actually hurt. Her cunt clenched so hard it felt like a cramp, and she whimpered through her gag, hoping Regina wouldn't notice the fat tear that was sliding down one cheek.

It was in that moment that Emma realised just how much control Regina truly had over her. She'd asked her to make her afraid, to do whatever she wanted, to treat her like shit until she forgot all about Hook – she'd done that and more, and Emma knew they were barely halfway through the night. Her whole body was tingling with sweat, and no matter how badly Regina was hurting her right then, it wasn't enough to make her use her safe word. If anything, it only made her want to drag her body closer to her, to bury her face between her legs yet again, to be close to her and make her gasp louder and hopefully get rewarded for it when they were done.

But she couldn't do any of that, and that was the reason why the tears were flowing so freely down her flushed cheeks. She wanted so much that she couldn't have: that was Regina's punishment for her.

Regina watched her trembling on the floor and carried on without the faintest shred of remorse holding her back. She could see Emma's hands behind her back, and they were still. Emma might be hating this, but she wasn't signalling, and that meant she was loving it too.

She drew her hand back over her clit and gasped, one heel slipping against the carpet. Emma's teary eyes followed her movements, darting back and forth as Regina began to slowly, purposefully fuck herself. She lifted her other hand and squeezed at her own breast through her dress, and she heard Emma moan. She ignored her, her eyes flickering shut, and bucked her hips upwards to allow her fingers to slide deeper inside her.

Her orgasm crept up on her – one minute she was lazily fucking herself, the pleasure tingling through her extremities. The next, she was gasping for air, electricity exploding through her as she slumped back against the bed frame. Her own wetness dribbled down her fingers as they stilled inside her and she closed her eyes, trying desperately to slow her own heartbeat down. She could hear Emma whimpering, and that only prolonged the pleasure: her orgasm carried on, slowly but furiously, making her muscles twitch and her cunt clench around the three fingers that were still thrust inside.

When she opened her eyes, it took her a moment to focus on Emma. When she succeeded, she realised that she'd finally managed to overwhelm her completely: Emma's eyes were screwed shut, her forehead was pressed against the carpet, and she was openly sobbing. Her hands were still clenched into fists behind her back, telling Regina in no uncertain terms that she wanted to carry on – but, fuck, she was desperate. She lifted her head up and brought it back down on the floor, trying to knock the need to be fucked out of herself. It didn't work, and she did it again, not caring that she was getting black smears of mascara on the carpet.

Regina pulled her fingers free and tugged her dress back down, trying to get her breathing under control. Getting to her wobbly feet, she moved back towards Emma and crouched beside her, placing her hand – still sticky and warm from her own cunt – on her shoulder.

"Get up."

Emma whimpered, shrugging her off. She knew that was a mistake, but she didn't have the sense left to do as she was told.

Raising her eyebrows, Regina reached out for Emma's matted curls and pulled sharply upwards.

"I said," she hissed in her ear. "Get. _Up_."

Emma struggled to her feet, still sniffing hard, and let herself be shoved towards the bed. The second she collapsed down onto it, Regina was on top of her, removing the belt from her wrists and forcing her onto her back. Her arms were tugged towards the headboard and Emma took the hint, shuffling backwards until she could touch the frame. As soon as she was there, Regina's hands came back down on her, wrapping the now-warm leather back around her wrists and securing them to the headboard.

"Let's keep this on," Regina said, her fingers moving over the gag as she spoke. It was drenched with Emma's saliva, and the feeling of it against her fingertips made her pussy ache. "I do like subduing that smart mouth of yours."

Emma looked up at her, mascara smeared underneath her eyes, and Regina's heart skipped when she saw the desperation there. Beneath her thighs, Emma's body was tightly wound and unable to lie still, and Regina realised she'd finally dragged close enough to the edge that she wouldn't be able to think straight until she came. Emma was entirely in her hands, and she would do anything to get what she needed. Anything at all.

The realisation made her smirk.

She bent forward and pressed her lips against Emma's slightly parted ones, kissing her deeply and messily and enjoying the way that the gag lay between them. Emma groaned, her body arching off the bed, and tried desperately to kiss her back. She couldn't, and so another frustrated tear dribbled down her cheek.

Regina laughed against her open mouth, reaching one hand up to hold her face steady. She could feel the sticky, salty tears against her fingertips, and she couldn't resist raising her hand to her mouth in order to lick her fingers clean.

Emma moaned, wriggling beneath her, then hissed when Regina slapped her sharply against one breast.

"Stop that," Regina said, her other hand joining the first and roughly grabbing her through her bra. Then she spotted the front clasp on it and laughed with sheer delight.

She popped the bra open, and Emma's breasts came into view. There was a thin sheen of sweat covering both of them, and Regina didn't hesitate before falling towards them with a moan. She dragged her tongue over one nipple, palming the other breast with her left hand, and took a moment to enjoy the feeling of Emma's heart frantically pounding beneath her fingers before she bit down against her flesh. Emma hissed, her chest arching up into Regina's touch, and Regina kept going, peppering soft kisses interspersed with angry bites all over her, absorbing the weak cries and drawn-out moans from above her as she moved.

Emma had been wriggling when she'd started, but after just a few minutes of this torture, she was writhing around like she was deranged, her spine curving away from the mattress and her eyes screwed shut. Her cunt was pulsing in time to the frantic pounding in her chest, and the wetness was that spilling out from her desperate, neglected pussy was making her want to scream.

When Regina began travelling southwards, Emma thought for the tiniest of seconds that she was about to be put out of her misery. But then she felt those soft, pillowy lips latching onto the jut at the bottom of her ribcage, and as she began to suck the blood to the surface of her skin, Emma snapped.

She bucked her hips upwards, wailing through the gag, and tried to throw Regina from her. Regina pulled back and placed both of her hands on Emma's stomach, pinning her down against the bed with a snarl. Emma choked out another sob and kept thrashing, desperately wanting to kick out or pull her bound hands free to slap the cold expression off of Regina's face. She wanted to hurt her more than she'd ever wanted to hurt anyone before in her life. Regina saw the fury building up behind her glassy eyes and growled, crawling on top of her and reaching out for her throat. Emma choked, her movements stilling almost immediately.

"Stop that right now," she snapped, pressing her hips against Emma's stomach to hold her down. Emma was shaking, her cheeks pink and mottled, and she let out a wail that was so animalistic it would have frightened Regina if she were anybody else.

She reached out with her other hand and slapped Emma's face, waiting until the shock had made her fall still before she leaned into her ear. She pressed down harder, her hips rolling over Emma's pelvis, as she muttered, "You can stop struggling right now, Miss Swan. Because this is going to happen whether you like it or not."

For a split second, there was silence. Emma seemed to have stopped breathing entirely. Regina used the pause to reach down between their bodies, her fingers scuttling down Emma's abdomen until they were met with soaking wet skin. At once, Emma started trying to pull away again. From beneath her gag, she forced out a muffled, "No."

Regina glanced up at her bound hands: they were closed. She snorted with derision and plunged her fingers into Emma's cunt.

As Emma shrieked, Regina asked calmly, "You're saying no to me?"

Emma nodded wildly and desperately. Her body was caught in a wave of confusion, half wanting to pull away from Regina for the sake of this new game and half wanting to be taken from all sides until she couldn't think straight. She settled for bucking her hips once more, trying to throw Regina from her, and then whimpered softly when Regina grabbed her face with her spare hand.

She leaned forward, pressing their noses together, and continued her onslaught on Emma's pussy. "Do you really think I'm going to stop just because you want me to?"

Emma almost looked afraid, but buried way down beneath that, she also looked relieved. She was gasping through her gag, her breaths coming roughly from deep in her throat, and Regina could see the tension starting to drip out of her. She wasn't thinking anymore – not about Hook, not about her parents. All she could concentrate on was the woman pinning her down with a cruel smile on her lips and the way that her body was betraying her by slowly coming undone.

"I'm going to fuck you, because I get to do whatever I want to you," Regina purred in her ear, thrusting a third finger inside her. As the palm of her hand ground down against her clit, she felt Emma start to shake. "This body belongs to me. I'm going to keep fucking you, and there's not a thing you can do to stop me."

A huge sob came from Emma's throat then, just as her body began to writhe against the sheets.

"And the most beautiful part of it is that you're still going to come for me. Aren't you?" She didn't need to ask the question. She could see Emma's breath quickening, her pupils dilating, and she knew she was close. She let out a breath of laughter. "Poor Emma – so pathetic and so _helpless_. You tried to act tough by pushing me away, but you can't actually do it, can you?"

Emma didn't respond, and Regina immediately grabbed her by the throat. "Can you?"

A minute shake of Emma's head was a satisfactory answer.

"I didn't think so. Because you need me inside you – you can say no all you like, but I know how badly you want this. And I also know that you're about to come. Aren't you?"

Emma was trembling, her wrists tugging aimlessly at the belt that was wrapped around them, and for a second there was only silence interspersed with the slapping sound of Regina's fingers thrusting deep inside her. Then Emma's mouth opened wide around the gag that was forced inside it and she wailed, her back arching up off the mattress as she finally came in a gush of warmth and wetness that soaked Regina's hand and left her cackling.

"I thought so," she said, pulling her hand free and rubbing it flat over Emma's cunt. Emma whimpered, still trying to catch her breath, and canted her hips into Regina's touch. "Are you going to say no to me again, or are you going to come a second time like the little whore I know you are?"

Emma was still pulling on her restraints, tears dribbling down to her chin. Both of her cheeks were red – from exhilaration, from humiliation, from Regina's palm slapping hard against them. Regina thought it might be the most beautiful she'd ever looked.

Emma groaned at that word, just like she always did, and then her head tipped back and her eyes fluttered closed and she was coming again with a low moan that was brimming with relief and gratitude. Regina laughed, bending down to catch her mouth, and kissed her sloppily around the soaking wet gag.

"When you say no to me," she whispered, "it just makes me want to fuck you harder."

Emma blinked up at her, her eyes bleary and unfocused, and before she could respond in any way, Regina was retreating. She crawled between Emma's thighs, her dress warm with sweat and sticking uncomfortably to her body, and settled down on the mattress with her eyes locked hungrily onto Emma's dripping pussy.

Without warning, dragged the flat of her tongue along her slit. Emma's body bucked, her hips grinding forwards, and she released the most delicious moan of pleasure that Regina had ever heard. Hooking her arms around Emma's sticky thighs, she tugged her closer, burying her face in her tortured cunt and soaking up the taste of her.

She curled her tongue through Emma's folds, smearing her wetness up and up, and began to suck, flicking the tip of her tongue lightly over her clit every time she stopped to catch her breath. Emma whimpered, her eyes clenched shut, and tightened her thighs against Regina's ears. Her insides were beginning to twist, going hot with desire and desperation, and she lifted her hips once more, pleading with Regina to not make her wait before she could come again.

She didn't – with renewed access, Regina slid three fingers easily inside her, and the fluttering of her muscles told her that Emma was coming then and there. Emma let out a strangled moan, her throat dry and her muscles cramping, as she came over Regina's fingers and tongue, her desperation dripping down between the both of them.

And even then, Regina didn't stop. Emma had been pleading for this for what felt like hours, and she wasn't going to let up until she had to. As soon as Emma's body had gone slack, she started again, driving her tongue deep into her pussy and shuddering as her grateful moans filled the room. Emma's lower back lifted off the bed, and Regina caught sight of her ribcage fluttering beneath her delicate skin. Her chest and stomach were peppered with bruises and bite marks, and with a thin veil of sweat covering her, she looked truly magical.

Regina moaned against Emma's skin, and the vibration tugged her harder towards her release. Emma gasped, her fingers clutching at nothing, as the pleasure inside her built and built and built, filling up her extremities and sending stars dancing across her eyelids. When she came again, it was with a scream that made her throat ache.

Regina kept slowly licking and kissing her cunt until she felt Emma trying to wriggle away. She let her, taking a moment to sit up on her knees and take in the sight before her. Sometimes she forgot just how beautiful Emma was, and then it would all come flooding back to her in moments like this: when Emma was splayed out, breathing hard with faint tear tracks on her cheeks, her legs spread and her cunt slightly pink from Regina's mouth and fingers.

She swallowed, her own body struggling against the desire to fall forwards and kiss her as tenderly as possible. Because Emma's hands were still closed, and she was looking expectantly back at her.

She still wanted more. Regina would gladly give her that.

Crawling over her, she untied the belt and let Emma's arms fall back down to the mattress, before reaching down and pulling the gag from her mouth. It hung wetly around her throat, and Regina's thighs squeezed together at the sight of it.

"Get up," she said, her voice cold. "On your hands and knees."

Emma blinked at her for second before she did as she was told, wriggling out from underneath Regina's body to position herself as she had been directed. She took a deep breath, her green eyes fixed on the headboard.

A hand smacked fiercely against her ass, and she jumped. It was followed by another blow, and then another, over and over again until she heard herself crying out. Regina growled, her spare hand reaching out for the loose end of the scarf, and tugged it backwards until she heard Emma choke.

All of a sudden, three fingers were being plunged into her swollen pussy, and Emma threw her head back as she drowned under the sensations that were attacking her body from all sides. She suddenly regretted their agreement to not use any toys tonight, because the overwhelming need to be fucked as deeply and as forcefully as possible had taken over her. Regina's fingers drove inside her and she gasped with pleasure and just a hint of pain, but it wasn't enough, and they both knew it. Emma wanted to be pinned down and fucked to within an inch of her sanity, taken from all sides until she couldn't remember her own name.

Regina pulled harder on the scarf, soaking up the sound of Emma choking, and watched gleefully as her arms gave way. With her ass poking high up in the air and her spine curved gracefully downwards, Regina's fingers had better access, and they plunged in deeper, not caring about whether they were hurting her. She knew Emma wanted them to.

She added a fourth finger and shivered as Emma moaned, pushing her ass higher. Her toes were curling and her arms, crushed beneath her own chest, were grasping at the sheets like they alone were keeping her grounded. Regina tugged harder on the scarf, knowing that Emma wouldn't be able to breathe like this, and fucked her harder, ignoring the burn in her arm and the desperate clenching between her legs. Emma released a garbled cry, her voice choked and breathless, and she came again and again and again, the thick wetness from between her legs squirting over Regina's fingers and dripping down the back of her wrist.

Regina finally released the gag and Emma collapsed sideways, her chest rasping as she fought to catch her breath. She could feel bruises beginning to blossom around her throat and on the backs of her thighs and she had already fallen in love with every last one of them.

Falling to her knees beside her, Regina thoughtfully licked her fingers clean, watching the way Emma's body was still trembling against the crumpled sheets. She smiled to herself. Emma's eyes were closed and her chest was rising and falling like the high tide, but she didn't look spent yet. Not quite.

But Regina hesitated. God knows she could have carried on like this all night, fucking Emma into a state of complete deliriousness and being senselessly fucked in return. But she could see the sweat dribbling down Emma's temple; the purple splotches that were blossoming along her throat and collarbone. Her hands were trembling from the ferocity of all the orgasms that had just washed over her, and though she hadn't used her safe word, Regina knew that she probably should have.

She crawled forwards, pushing the sweaty hair away from Emma's ear, and murmured into it, "Red."

Emma's eyes snapped open at once. "What? Why?"

"That's enough for tonight," Regina said, unsurprised by how breathless she sounded. "If we go any further, I'm going to end up hurting you."

Emma's eyes were wide and outraged as she said, "But—"

"No 'buts'," Regina interrupted, the slight lift of her eyebrows telling Emma that this was still her Dom giving her a command, not just Regina telling her 'no'. "Remember what we discussed beforehand."

Emma pouted back at her. The effect was somewhat lessened by the exhausted circles under her eyes.

After a pause, Regina held out her hand. "Come with me."

Emma did as she was told, as she always did when Regina was around, and let herself be led off the bed and across the room. Regina took her over to the mirror and stood behind her as she looked at herself.

Letting her eyes trail from the mascara tracks on her cheeks down to her bruised throat, her bitten breasts and her shaking hands, Emma felt her resolve soften. The skin between her legs was red and puffy, and when she turned slightly, she saw the faint streaks of purple starting to blossom across her ass cheeks.

She forced back a laugh. "Well. I look thoroughly fucked."

"You do," Regina agreed, pressing a kiss against her sweaty temple. "Do you feel it?"

Emma paused, finally listening to what her body had been screaming at her for the past 15 minutes. "I do. I really do."

"It's probably a good time to go wipe some of this make up off you, in that case."

Emma blushed, but it was a good colour on her. It told Regina everything she needed to know: that she enjoyed having the dark tear tracks on her cheeks, but she also enjoyed having someone to help her clean them off.

Regina sat Emma down on the edge of the bathtub and gently wiped the streaks of make-up from her face. Emma waited quietly, her eyes closed and her cheeks still pink, and Regina couldn't help but stroke her thumb over the slightly puffy peak of her cheekbone. It would go down by the morning, and she couldn't help feel a little sad about that. She hoped that some of the other marks she'd left on Emma would last longer.

They took turns to shower and then Emma found Regina a spare toothbrush, telling her without thinking that she could keep it in the cup beside the sink for the next time she stayed over. Regina didn't comment on it. She hoped it would get used again.

Emma left the bathroom before her, and when Regina finally joined her in the bedroom, she opened her mouth to ask if she could borrow a shirt to wear to bed. But she found Emma lying naked beneath the sheets, her eyes already fluttering closed, and she smiled softly. Ignoring the pull of her heart, she slid in beside her, her bare skin trembling against the cotton.

She waited for Emma to curl up against her side, but she didn't. Regina wondered if she should be the one to do it.

"Did I say thank you already?" Emma suddenly asked. She was facing Regina, but her eyes were closed.

Regina laughed softly. "No, you didn't."

"Thank you, then." She didn't need to specify what for.

"You're welcome," Regina said, watching her carefully. She looked younger than normal. "Thank you, too."

A faint smile flickered over Emma's face, but before she could reply, she was asleep. Just like that.

Regina sighed, reaching out to tuck a damp curl behind her ear. Her body ached. It was partly from desire, partly from exhaustion. Partly from something else entirely.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma didn't recognise the Killian that had started following her around.

They weren't 'officially' back together again – Emma's exact words on the matter had been, "Fine, I guess we can see how things go." And yet he'd taken it as a victory, and Emma could barely leave the house without him appearing at her elbow.

She hadn't let him move back in with her, because that was just too much when the thought of his hands anywhere near her made her feel slightly sick. But he still managed to walk her to and from the sheriff station every single day, and he usually called her at least three times while she was there.

"The boat I've rented isn't actually so bad," he said one evening two weeks after his miraculous return. He'd bullied his way into Emma's house for the evening, and they were sitting at her dining room table eating pasta in near-silence. "It's no _Jolly Roger_ , obviously, but it's fine. You should come by."

Emma's eyes were on her cell phone, which was siting in her lap. It hadn't lit up with a text from anyone besides him or her mother in days. She murmured a response. "Maybe."

"I could take you out on the bay. I know you say you hate sailing, but I still think I can change your mind."

"Mm."

"Is everything okay?"

"Sure," Emma said, tapping on her message chain with Regina.

 _How are things going with the pirate?_ Regina had written four days ago.

_Fine, I guess._

_You don't sound very convinced. Can I help?_

_No, not really. I'm just giving this thing a try, but it's hard._

_Would it be easier if I didn't contact you?_

The answer to that had been a resounding no, but Emma had forced herself to reply with something else. _Maybe. Just while I'm getting my head together._

_Of course. Whatever you need._

Emma had regretted saying it ever since. She knew Regina was keeping her distance because she respected her and, against all odds, was trying to make this decision easier for her, but Emma couldn't help wish that she'd burst into her kitchen and kiss her up against the kitchen table anyway.

"Who are you texting?" Hook asked, trying to peer over the table and into Emma's lap.

Emma sighed, locking her phone with a resigned click. "Absolutely no one."

Killian was smiling at her when she looked up, although it looked forced.

"We should do something tomorrow," he said.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. I just feel like we need to… reconnect," he said, glancing not-so-subtly at Emma's chest as he spoke. He'd been making similar comments ever since he'd stepped back into her life, evidently put out by the fact that Emma hadn't dragged him into her bed yet, and just like all those other times, Emma ignored him.

"We could go out for dinner," she said flatly. She sure as hell wasn't about to suggest anything else.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Hook's face before it brightened again. "Okay. And then maybe we can come back here after. For some alone time."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Excuse me?" Hook asked, forgetting himself. That same old look of resentfulness crossed his features – the one that he'd somehow been managing to hide ever since the day after he'd shown up at her front door.

Emma sighed. "It's just… I'm not ready yet. I need more time."

"More time for what?" Hook snapped, then caught himself. He took a breath and said slightly more gently, "What do I need to do to earn your trust back?"

The problem was, it wasn't actually about trust. Not to him, anyway. He was only asking that because he knew it was the right question, but Emma was all too aware from the way that he kept watching her and licking his lips that what he really meant was, "What do I need to do to get back in your bed?"

She swallowed. "Just be patient with me."

"But it's already been—"

"Killian," Emma interrupted wearily. "Please. I'm giving this a shot, I really am. But I need to move slowly on this."

There was a pause, and Emma thought maybe he was about to accept that. But then she felt a hand touching her leg underneath the table, making her jump.

"Come on, Swan," he murmured, stroking her knee. "I know things aren't the same as they were, but if you let me, I'll help you feel like they are."

Rage brewed up inside her like water boiling out of a pan. "I just said no. What, you think you can twist my arm?"

"No, of course not."

"Good. Because I'm not playing a game here – I mean it. I'm not ready to have sex with you again."

"I get it," Hook said, removing himself from her leg and lifting his hands in a _woah, easy now_ gesture. "I was just kidding around. You don't need to be so difficult about it."

Emma gritted her teeth so hard that she thought she heard a crack. "I'm not being difficult."

"Fine," Hook sighed, going back to his pasta. "So, to clarify: dinner tomorrow. No funny business. Right?"

In spite of everything, Emma felt slightly sorry for him. "Sure."

"Granny's?"

"Fine."

They finished their dinner in silence.

* * *

She met Hook after work and they went to the diner together. All the smaller tables were already taken – not by anyone Emma wanted to see, she noted miserably – so they grabbed one of the larger booths. They ordered without speaking to one another, and as Granny disappeared with her notepad, Emma waited for the inevitable to begin.

"So," Hook said right on cue. He'd washed his hair, she noticed. Her heart pulled, but not in the right way. "I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"Us. And how we can get back to where we were before I got taken."

He always said 'taken' like none of this was his fault. Whether that was true or not, Emma would have preferred the word 'left', simply because it would have given her the impression that he actually felt guilty about it.

"Go on," she said, lifting her water glass to her lips.

"The wedding."

Emma choked on her drink immediately. "Sorry?"

"Our wedding," Hook clarified, eyeing her curiously as she put the glass back down with shaky hands. "That's where we were before everything got messed up: we were engaged and things were going great. So, how about we just go back to that? We can start planning our wedding again."

"Like nothing happened, you mean?"

"Exactly," Hook said, not noticing the ice in her voice.

"And you think that will work?"

"I mean, it's worth a shot. We've got to try and get things back on track, right? If we're going to get married and have kids one day, we need to fight for this."

Kids. The word blared in Emma's head like a siren, and she slumped back against her side of the booth. Hook was beaming at her, and it was a sight that made her feel simultaneously nauseous and like the absolute worst person in the entire world.

_You could never have kids with him._

It was an obtrusive thought that she'd had too many times over the past couple of years, and even now that it was louder and more certain than ever, it brought up an acidic kind of guilt that threatened to choke her.

"Are you alright?" Hook asked. "You look a bit pale."

She nodded sharply. "Fine. Sorry."

"I thought we could discuss venues first?" he suggested, and sweat broke out over Emma's entire body. "How do you feel about getting married at sea?"

"I… I don't…"

The door chimed, and a beat later she heard, "Emma!"

She glanced up, relief swarming through her when she found her parents approaching their table, pushing baby Neal between them.

"Hey," Emma said, hoping they didn't notice the shake in her voice. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Just stopping to get some food," David said. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're good," Hook said, and he was just about to say something else when Emma cut over the top of him with a frantic sentence that made everyone in a three-metre radius jump slightly.

"You should join us!"

Her parents blinked at her. Hook, meanwhile, turned to pin her with an icy glare.

"Really?" Snow asked, looking hopeful.

"Sure, of course," Emma gabbled, sliding across the seat to make room for her. Her parents stepped forward and joined them, and Hook was left quietly fuming.

Things got easier once they were there. Emma felt like she could relax and actually talk again, and her parents seemed so completely delighted to be spending time with her for the first time since Hook had reappeared and commandeered all of her attention that she didn't even notice the sulky pout on his face. It was nice to be normal again for a few minutes. Emma sat back and decided to enjoy it.

And then she bolted upright in her seat once more, because the door was opening and two more people were walking in.

"Oh, hey guys," Henry said as he strolled over. Behind him, Regina was closing the diner door.

Emma wanted to say hi back, but her throat had closed up. Regina was wearing her blue dress – _that_ blue dress – and her hair looked silky and glossy and somehow delicious. She spotted Emma at once, and she smiled.

"Mom, can we join them?" Henry asked, turning back to her. Regina glanced at Emma, waiting for some kind of response, but Snow got there first.

"Of course you can," she chirped. "How lovely! An impromptu family dinner."

By that point Hook looked like his head was about to explode, but there was nothing he could do about it. Henry was sauntering round to the other side of the booth, and he plonked himself down on Hook's left side.

That just left Regina to slowly amble over to the empty space on Emma's right.

"May I?" she asked. Her voice was as smooth and calm as ever.

"Sure," Emma replied. She already sounded hysterical.

Regina slid in next to her. The smell of her perfume immediately washed over Emma, wrapping around her limbs like vines scattered with rosebuds.

"How are you?" Regina asked quietly, and Emma turned to look at her. Everyone else on the table was happily chatting to one another, except for Hook: although Emma could feel his displeased gaze on the side of her face, she couldn't help but look down at Regina's lips with a sigh.

"I'm fine," she said. "You?"

"Better now," Regina said so softly that no one else could have heard her. Emma struggled not to moan.

"Good," she said, looking away with her cheeks going hot. Regina's thigh was pressed up against her own, and suddenly all she could think about was what it had felt like to have them clamped around the sides of her face.

She sighed and looked up. Hook was watching her.

"What are you going to get, Mom?" Henry suddenly asked.

"I'm not sure," Regina hummed, opening her menu. "I can't say I'm craving a salad right now."

Out of nowhere, Emma was chuckling to herself.

"What?" Regina asked. Emma glanced over to find her smirking.

"You never crave a salad," Emma pointed out. "You want a burger. You always do."

"You sound awfully sure of yourself."

"Yeah, because I'm not a moron," Emma replied. She looked back across the table at their son. "Henry. She wants a burger, right?"

"Probably," Henry grinned back at her. "But now you've said it, she's going to order something else just to spite you."

"Do you think I'm that petty?" Regina asked.

"Yes," Emma and Henry said in unison. Regina rolled her eyes.

"You two have such a low opinion of me."

"Well, prove us wrong," Emma said, enjoying being able to challenge her for once without immediately receiving a stinging slap to the ass. "Order the burger."

Regina surveyed her coolly, and Emma knew she was thinking about exactly the same thing.

"I will not be bullied into ordering something by my son and his immature second guardian."

"I'd like to see someone _try_ and bully you, Regina," David said. He was watching their conversation with a twist of amusement on his face.

"They wouldn't win," Regina said, looking across at him. "No one bests me."

Her hand suddenly slipped over Emma's knee. Emma jumped, her other leg knocking against Hook's.

"But as you all seem to be so impassioned about it," Regina continued, letting her hand slip an inch higher. "I will get a burger."

"Does this mean we won?" Henry asked. He was grinning at both of his mothers, seemingly not noticing the dazed look on Emma's face.

"I suppose so," Regina sighed, stroking her thumb over Emma's thigh. Emma was holding her breath and her temples were pounding, and she knew she could push her away again. She knew she _should_. She was surrounded by her entire family and she was directly opposite her sort-of-fiancé-but-not-really and her mother was right next to her, and the sensible thing to do would be to laugh and nudge Regina away from her, and then just get through this meal like a normal person.

But she didn't do any of that. Instead, she shifted forward in her seat so that her lap was fully hidden beneath the table.

She could feel Regina smirking as she said, "But this still doesn't mean you two have outdone me. I always come out on top."

Emma's hands were shaking when Granny came back over and took the remaining orders. By the time she was gone again, Regina's hand was located halfway up her thigh and was slowly moving round in circles, her fingertips sending shivers up to the peak of Emma's spine.

"You look very alert, Emma," David said, suddenly noticing the way that she was sitting bolt upright with her stomach pressed against the edge of the table.

Regina's fingers slid down toward the inside of her thigh, and Emma choked out, "Yeah. Just excited for food."

Her pussy was throbbing. She hadn't touched Regina in weeks – not since they'd woken up together after the best and wildest night of Emma's entire life – and the mere feeling of her fingers skating over her leg had sent all the blood in her body rushing directly towards her clit. She wriggled in her seat, wordlessly begging Regina to go further, and felt a breath of laughter from beside her.

"And what did you order, Miss Swan?" Regina asked. When Emma heard that name, she nearly fell out of the booth altogether.

"Miss Swan?" Snow asked, shaking her head. "Come on, Regina. Surely you can call her Emma by now."

"It's fine," Emma choked out. "It's like a joke between us now. Right, Madam Mayor?"

Regina's eyes flashed. "Right."

Her fingers teased at the crease of Emma's hipbone. Emma swallowed hard.

"I got a burger too."

"Not your usual combination of a grilled cheese with extra cheese and a side of mac and cheese?" Regina asked, smiling wryly. She was only inches away, her lips within kissing distance, and it was absolute fucking torture.

"No," Emma said, hoping no one else could hear the crack in her voice. "I'm trying new things at the moment."

Regina smirked again. "That you are."

She twisted her wrist and cupped her hand directly over Emma's pussy. Emma jumped, her knees banging against the table, and suddenly the hot pulsing of blood in her body sounded like a roaring in her ears.

She wriggled away from Regina and started to clamber over Snow's lap.

"Emma?" Snow asked, blinking.

"Sorry. I just have to…" Emma trailed off as she hurdled over her mother and made it safely onto solid ground. "I just need the…"

And then she ran, heading for the bathroom without looking back.

The table fell silent for a few moments, everybody blinking confusedly at one another as they wondered what the hell had just happened. Eventually Snow asked, "Do you think she's okay?"

"She was acting a little strange before you arrived," Hook said. "She kept going pale."

"Oh dear," Snow sighed. "Maybe we should go check she's alright."

Regina tried not to snort. Her own blood was up, because the feeling of being next to Emma again had been even more tantalising than she'd expected. She couldn't believe how close they'd gotten to outing themselves in front of everyone within less than five minutes of sitting beside one another.

She shouldn't have done any of that. She knew it. But she also knew how miserable Emma had looked every single time she'd seen her trailing after Hook those past two weeks, and she'd seen the way her face had lit up the second Regina had walked into the diner. She'd felt Emma pressing herself into her touch.

She sighed. This whole thing was such a fucking disaster.

"I'll go," Hook said in response to Snow's suggestion. He looked to his right, where David was busy checking on Neal in his stroller, and then to his left, where Henry was slumped down with seemingly no intention of moving.

With a snort of derision, Regina said, "It's the ladies' room. I'll go." She slid out of the booth before anyone could object.

Fire was burning in her stomach as she approached the bathroom, and it was only partly because she wasn't sure whether Emma would welcome her with open arms or scream at her to please just give her some goddamn space. The rest of the fire was a hot cocktail of jealousy, so thick and putrid that she couldn't even lie to herself and pretend that it was something else. She'd seen Emma and Hook together a dozen times since he'd miraculously reappeared, and the sight of him there, with _her_ , with his good hand constantly reaching for the small of her back and the other one glinting whenever it twisted, made her feel sick.

Regina still wasn't sure that she was worthy of touching Emma, but she was absolutely certain that Hook was not.

She reached the bathroom and took a breath. She pushed open the door.

There were three stalls lined up against the back wall, and all of them were empty. For a second, Regina wasn't sure she'd gone into the right place.

But then Emma was rushing toward her from the sinks on the other side of the room, and she was grabbing the front of Regina's jacket with hands that said I miss you and I want you and I need you. Regina didn't have time to react before she was forced up against the wall, and then Emma was kissing her, not even pausing to mutter a furious word in her ear before she was forcing Regina's lips apart and sliding a greedy tongue into her mouth. Regina moaned, taking hold of Emma's waist and pulling her against her, not quite recognising the feeling of being the one who wasn't in charge but allowing herself to enjoy it for just a second. Emma was burning with something that felt a little bit like despair, and she was happy to be attacked by her desperate kisses while she worked it out of her system.

She was expecting that to be it – for Emma to kiss her angrily and then suddenly pull away with her eyes flashing. But it didn't happen that way: instead, Regina felt a set of fingers curling around her wrist, and before she knew it she was being tugged toward the stall in the corner.

"Emma," Regina said as she was dragged inside. "What are you doing?"

"You know what I'm doing," Emma said, shutting the door and then wedging Regina up against it. Her hands were everywhere, skimming over Regina's neck and shoulders and then down to her breasts, and Regina didn't consider telling her to stop. Why should she? Why should she stay away from her when clearly neither of them wanted that? It wasn't like Hook was a good man or a good boyfriend or a good _anything_ – as far as Regina was concerned, he and Emma weren't even officially dating again. So fuck it – why should she tear herself away from Emma when she'd finally found someone who wanted to be draped around her just as much as she wanted to be draped around them?

Regina fisted a hand in the front of Emma's shirt and pulled her against her, sliding her tongue into her mouth with ease. Emma seemed frantic – her hands were splayed against the door either side of Regina's head, and she had shoved a leg roughly between her thighs. It was restricted by the tight fabric of her dress, which meant that Regina couldn't grind down against it, but they could both still feel it helping to pin her back against the wall. The sensation just made Regina moan.

But then Emma's hands got grabby. They were skating all over Regina's body, grasping for her and pulling her close and pushing her away all at once, and Regina knew what that meant. There was a neediness in her actions that only surfaced when she was in a very specific mindset.

Regina reached for Emma's waist and pushed, turning them so that Emma crashed back against the solid wall. Emma gasped, but her eyes were glinting. Her head fell back against the bricks as she watched Regina looming over her.

With cool eyes, Regina peered down at her from her towering shoes. One hand stayed on Emma's waist, holding her against the wall, while the other crept up to caress the jut of her jaw.

"Do you need something, Miss Swan?"

The words sent something that felt like hot oil sputtering through Emma's veins. She nodded, her eyes wide and unblinking.

"And what might that be?" Regina asked softly, stroking her hair away from her face.

Emma surprised her by reaching out to grab hold of her waist. She didn't pull her closer, but rather just clung onto her like she was expecting her to walk away. Regina laughed softly.

"You're very needy today," she commented.

"I know."

"Is that because you've missed me?"

Part of her expected Emma to blush at that, or to say no. She did neither of those things.

"Yes," she said shortly, her jaw tensed and angry-looking. "I have."

"I've seen you wandering around town with that man," Regina said, refusing to use his name because he didn't deserve that. "With someone who isn't me."

Emma's face fell. "I know. I'm sorry, Madam Mayor."

"That's alright. It's not your fault," Regina said coolly. "Do you remember when we got a room together here?"

Blinking at the subject change, Emma said, "Yes, of course."

"And do you remember what I told you that night?"

Emma hesitated, her mind flicking back over the dozens of things that had happened that during that evening. In her moment of confusion, Regina leaned forward and pressed her mouth hotly against Emma's ear.

"I told you that I don't like to share."

Emma whimpered, her fingers digging into Regina's waist. "I remember."

"Good. The problem, though, is that I'm being forced to share you anyway. And that fact is making me a little angry."

She wasn't sure how far she should push this right at that moment, but as soon as she saw the flash of excitement in Emma's eye, she knew that they weren't going to have a problem.

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered. She slid her hands down Regina's hips, then round to her ass. "Can I make it up to you?"

Regina smirked. "You've gotten bold."

"I'm just making up for lost time."

"Hm," Regina purred, dipping forward and pressing a quick kiss against Emma's mouth. "I admire that. Although I might have to put a stop to it."

"Really?" Emma asked. She squeezed Regina's ass and shivered when a pair of dark eyes flashed back at her.

"Yes," Regina snapped, grabbing Emma's wrists and pinning them against the wall. "Really."

Emma trembled in the most delicious way possible, and Regina had to resist the urge to bend forward and suck on her neck until it was purple all up one side. She suspected even someone as self-involved and moronic as Hook might notice that.

She settled for kissing her throat gently, letting her tongue flick out and lap at Emma's pulse point until her arms were shaking beneath her grip. Then she let her wrists go entirely, reaching down to unbutton Emma's jeans and slowly drag the zipper down.

When Regina pulled back, Emma was watching her with wide eyes. Regina could tell she was holding her breath.

"Are you going to stand there and take this, Miss Swan?'

Emma's nod was frantic and sincere. "Yes, Madam Mayor."

"You're not going to start bitching and whining that I'm not going fast enough?"

"No."

"You're certain?" Regina asked, suddenly gripping hold of Emma's jeans and panties and yanking them down her thighs. Emma whimpered, but she didn't move. "Because if I hear one word of complaint out of you, I'll have no problem leaving you here feeling extremely unsatisfied."

She reached up to tuck Emma's hair behind her ear, then added, "Maybe I'll even tie you to that hook on the door and see how long I can leave you in here for before you start to lose your mind with need."

Emma's jaw trembled before she choked out, "I'll take whatever you're willing to give me, Madam Mayor."

"And what if I'm not willing to give you anything?"

She was startled by just how close to tears Emma looked at that.

"Then… I'll take that too."

She was lying, but it didn't matter. Regina smiled proudly at her, cupping her chin.

"Very good," she said, finally slipping a hand between Emma's legs. Even she was slightly shocked by how hot and slick her skin already was.

"Emma," she purred, drawing out her name like a ribbon. "You continue to surprise me."

Emma's head had fallen back against the wall, and there was a tear glinting in the corner of her eye. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, dear," Regina said, making Emma moan out loud. Regina quickly clapped her spare hand across her mouth, smothering her. "You know, I never used to like surprises. But for some reason, I've grown to love them with you."

She could feel Emma nervously smiling beneath her fingers.

"How long after I sat down next to you did you start getting wet like this?" Regina asked, pulling her hand away from Emma's mouth and cupping her cheek instead. Between her legs, her fingers were ever so slowly circling Emma's clit, applying so little pressure that she knew it must have been torturous.

"Seconds," Emma breathed. "As soon as I could smell you."

Regina smirked at that. "You can _smell_ me?"

"Yes."

"Do you like it?"

" _Yes_. I want to buy a bottle of your perfume just so I can spray it on my bed and fuck myself in it."

A glimmer of surprise crossed over Regina's face. "My my. You really are needy today."

"I know," Emma gasped, and her hips were starting to buck against Regina's infuriatingly soft touch. "I wish you had your strap-on with you so you could bend me over and fuck me with it."

"Mm," Regina gently encouraged, increasing the pressure just slightly. "I would enjoy that too. What else would you like?"

Emma was panting, her head rolling back against the wall and her fists clenched by her sides. "I'd like you to slap me."

Regina smirked. The hand that was cupping her face pulled away and feebly did as she asked. "Like that?"

Emma moaned. "Harder. Please."

"I thought you were going to take whatever I gave you?"

"I am," Emma gasped, scrunching her eyes shut as Regina's fingers pressed harder against her clit. "I just—"

She was interrupted by Regina's palm slapping viciously against her cheek. She groaned out loud, the sound echoing off the walls, and Regina immediately clapped her hand back over her mouth.

"Be quiet," she hissed, pressing her forehead against Emma's. Just as Emma began to mumble her apologies, Regina slid two fingers inside her, taking her sweet time and enjoying the way Emma's eyes widened in response. "Do you want me to stop?"

Emma shook her head almost violently, and Regina began to gradually pump her fingers in and out.

"Then let me ask you this again," Regina said quietly, pressing her thumb against Emma's clit as she pushed her fingers back inside. "Are you going to stand there and take this?"

"Yes, Madam Mayor," Emma forced out from beneath her palm.

"Good girl," Regina purred, slipping a third finger inside her and admonishing her softly when Emma cried out. "Shh, Emma. You don't want someone to come in here and catch you with my fingers in your cunt."

Emma whined at that. She tilted her hips toward Regina's hand so she could take her deeper, and she released a low moan when she felt something hot and pliable starting to creep through her muscles.

"Or do you?" Regina mused, driving her fingers in harder and smirking whenever Emma gasped. "Do you want someone to walk in and hear you moaning? Do you want people to know that you spread your legs for the mayor whenever she asks you to, and you thank her for it afterwards?"

The noise that came from Emma's mouth was more like a wail than anything Regina had ever heard, and she could tell from the fierce clenching around her fingers that Emma was close to coming. She leaned forward, pressing the full weight of her body against Emma's so she could properly pin her to the wall, and she peeled her other hand away from her mouth.

"Let's see how quiet you can be," she murmured, gripping hold of Emma's cheeks instead. Her right hand drove into her again, making the most delicious sucking noises as it plunged into Emma's wetness, and before she knew it, Emma's entire body was shaking. "Come on, Miss Swan. You know I don't like to be kept waiting."

Emma let out a sharp bark of laughter right before her orgasm washed over her, and then she was grabbing at Regina's shoulders to keep herself upright.

"Fuck," she gasped, Regina's fingers still pistoning into her. "Fuck. I need… I need you so badly."

"I'm right here," Regina cooed, grinding the palm of her hand against her clit.

Emma was breathing hard through the tail end of her orgasm, her fingers digging into Regina's skin. She whimpered as the tremors started to leave her.

"But I need you all the time," Emma said, her forehead tipping forward against Regina's shoulder. "I… miss you."

That made Regina pause. This wasn't part of the game.

But Emma felt her hesitation and let out a shaky sigh. "Don't stop."

"Really?"

"No. Please."

When Regina didn't respond right away, Emma pulled away from her and reached down for the bottom of her dress. She started tugging at it, and when Regina met her gaze, she found only determination there.

She grabbed Emma's wrist, forcing her to stop. "What do you think you're doing, Miss Swan?"

"I'm trying to fuck you," Emma replied right away. Her voice snapped at the back of her throat, and it was just bratty enough to piss Regina off.

She grabbed Emma's wrists and quickly spun her around, thrusting her forward against the wall. "I beg your pardon?"

Emma wriggled under her weight, but a faint moan escaped her lips before she could hide it. "I said, I'm trying to fuck you."

"And when _exactly_ did I say you could do that?"

"You didn't," Emma bit out. Regina's breath was hot against the back of her neck, like a dragon spitting fire.

Something snapped inside Regina's head when she heard her tone, and she reached down between them and smacked Emma hard across her naked ass.

Emma yelped, jumping up on the balls of her feet, moments before Regina reached out a hand to grab the back of her neck. She pinned her hard against the wall as she spanked her again.

"Do _not_ talk to me like that," she spat, slapping her over and over again until Emma's skin started to turn pink. "Do not try and touch me without my permission. And _especially_ do not try and put your filthy little hands under my skirt like it's your God-given right. Who the hell do you think you are?"

Emma whimpered, her hands clutching aimlessly at the wall. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," Regina scoffed, suddenly plunging her fingers back inside her. "You're enjoying this."

Emma's moan of gratitude didn't exactly prove her wrong. Regina moved her other hand from the back of her neck to the front of her throat, squeezing hard and scoffing when Emma choked.

"Shut up," she hissed, watching the way her cheeks were already turning red. "You brought this on yourself."

Something that was either an apology or a plea rasped from Emma's throat, but Regina just squeezed harder. Her other hand was ramming into her cunt, filling the bathroom with frantic sucking sounds that made her brain feel hot and swollen, and she shivered all over as she watched Emma starting to claw at the wall like she was trying to get away. Her short nails scraped over the exposed bricks as her face got darker and darker, and Regina waited until the very last second before she finally released her.

As Emma choked and gasped, her forehead leaning against the wall, Regina demanded, "What do you say?"

"I'm sorry, Madam Mayor." Emma's voice sounded thick and rusty.

"Good," Regina snapped, grabbing Emma's hips and tugging her backward until she was bent at the waist, her folded arms pressed up against the wall. "And what else?"

Her fingers were still buried between her legs – three of them, all harsh and demanding – and Emma whimpered. "Thank you."

"Thank you for what?"

Emma nearly choked, her body clenching desperately around Regina as she started sliding in and out once more. "Thank you for fucking me."

"You're enjoying it, aren't you?"

"Yes, Madam Mayor," Emma all but wailed, cocking her spine and pressing herself harder against Regina's hand.

"I knew it," Regina said, sounding almost disgusted. Her spare hand grabbed hold of Emma's ass and gripped it hard enough to leave dark crescent marks in her skin. "I always knew you were the type of girl to enjoy being taken from behind in a dingy bathroom."

Emma moaned as heat began to pool in the base of her stomach. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Regina, slapping her ass hard.

"Sorry for… needing you to fuck me this badly," Emma choked out. Her throat was still burning from Regina's earlier grip on it, and it was making her head swim in the most delicious way possible.

Regina laughed. "You're not sorry for that. I don't believe it for a second."

She spanked her again and continued her onslaught on her pussy, stretching it around her demanding fingers and loving the way Emma's wetness kept spilling out of it. Emma's moans and whimpers were echoing off the bricks and the tiles and Regina could tell from the arch in her spine and the way that she was biting down on her lip that she was close to coming, and so she fucked her harder, ignoring the burn in her arm and the sticky warmth within her own panties as she watched Emma's body succumb to her.

"Madam Mayor," Emma moaned, her voice loud and wanton. "I'm so close."

Regina opened her mouth to ask just how close she was, but something stopped her. She heard a faint squeak from over the top of the stall door.

Her fingers went still around the same time that Emma's eyes snapped open. They both waited.

Then came the unmistakable sound of the bathroom door swinging shut again, and someone walking toward the stall directly next to theirs.

"Shit," Emma muttered. Regina immediately thrust her forward, pushing her flat against the wall once more, and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Be quiet," she purred in her ear. Behind her, she could hear their guest bustling around in the neighbouring cubicle.

Pressing her body hard against Emma's back, Regina shifted her other hand until her little finger was also within reach of Emma's pussy. As they waited, she slid that fourth finger inside.

Emma gasped at once, shock melting into pleasure, and pushed herself back against Regina's chest. Regina tightened her grip on her face, feeling Emma's hot breath crystallising on her palm.

"Shh," she said. Her fingers began to move again, all four of them slipping up inside Emma slowly enough to make her legs tremble.

Emma let out a garbled moan that the other woman in the room would definitely have been able to hear, and Regina growled. "Shut _up_."

Emma nodded her head in a wordless apology, and Regina kept going. As she plunged her fingers deep inside, she idly wondered how long it would be before Emma would let her put her whole fist inside her. She had to fight back a moan of her own at that, imagining Emma's needy little cunt stretched wide around her entire hand, and with newfound desire burning inside her, she managed to pick up a steady rhythm that left Emma panting and writhing against the wall.

The other toilet flushed. Emma used the opportunity to gasp out, "Madam Mayor. I'm…"

But Regina didn't want a running commentary right then, nor was she waiting for her to ask for permission, so she pressed her mouth hotly against Emma's ear and growled, "Shut your fucking mouth, Miss Swan."

That was all it took for Emma to come with a cry that left the other person in the room gasping in shock – thankfully, not with a voice that either of them recognised. The woman hurried out again without washing her hands as Emma continued to moan and pant and buck back against Regina's knuckles.

"Oh Emma," Regina cooed, continuing to pump her fingers until she saw Emma's spine go slack. "You really can take a pounding, can't you?"

Emma let out a noise that was half a laugh and half a sob. "Yes, Madam Mayor."

Regina finally pulled her hand out from between her legs, leaving Emma trembling against the wall. She took a deep breath. "Are you okay?"

"Mm," Emma sighed, her eyes closed. "I'm fine."

But there was something that sounded too much like sadness in Emma's voice, and Regina didn't like it.

"Are you sure?" she asked, reaching for Emma's arm and pulling her until she was facing her. "Did I hurt you?"

Another watery laugh escaped Emma at that. "No, Regina. It was perfect."

She'd called her Regina because they could both tell that they were done playing. Emma's cheeks were still flushed, and there were fading fingerprints on her throat.

Emma reached down for her jeans and panties and pulled them back up. After a beat, she said, "Thank you."

Regina wanted to tell her that she was welcome, but Emma's voice had gone quiet again and she knew all too well what that meant.

With a sigh, she reached for Emma's face and gently cupped it. "Emma…"

Emma leaned into her touch at once, releasing a shaky breath that was tinged with both relief and gratitude. But before Regina could do anything else – before she could ask her to tell her the truth about how she was, or push her into talking about why they'd done this in the first place – the door outside swung open again. For a second, there was silence.

And then, "Emma?"

Both women groaned simultaneously at the sound of Snow's voice.

"In here," Emma said dully, her eyes still on Regina's face.

Another confused pause, before Snow asked, "Is Regina with you?"

"I am," Regina called back. She hesitated, both of them searching for an excuse, before she settled on, "Emma threw up."

Emma immediately reached out and slapped her arm.

" _Why_?" she demanded in a whisper.

"We're locked in a bathroom stall together," Regina hissed back at her. "What the hell else could we be doing?"

Snow was already calling back at them. "Oh, dear – are you okay? Can I get you anything?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Emma huffed, sounding just pissy enough that it was all too easy to believe that she'd been puking for the past 20 minutes. "We'll be out in a second."

"Alright. If you're sure," Snow said, reluctantly heading out into the diner again. Emma's head thudded back against the wall when the door clicked shut.

"Thank God."

But Regina was still watching her, her eyes taking in the dull glaze over Emma's eyes, and before she could stop herself, she was saying, "Please tell me what's wrong."

Emma looked flatly back at her. "Nothing's wrong."

"Right," Regina snorted, reaching out for her hand. "It's Hook, I'm guessing?"

When Emma didn't reply to that, she had her answer.

"Emma," she sighed, squeezing on her fingers. "Just talk to me."

"I can't," Emma said, exasperated and somehow apologetic. "This is... I'm supposed to be keeping you out of it."

"Sure. Except we just had sex, so that plan's not going too well, is it?"

Emma groaned. "I'm sorry. I've made this even more difficult."

"You haven't made anything difficult," Regina said, and she meant it. This wasn't Emma's fault – she was just trying to do the right thing. The problem was that the definition of 'right' was both loose and so very, very unpleasant. "Emma… I know how hard you're trying to make it work with Hook, and I want to respect that. But…"

Emma waited patiently for the end of that sentence. She almost looked hopeful.

Regina sighed and tried again. "I'm just wondering why you're putting yourself through this ordeal when it's obvious you're not happy."

"Who says I'm not happy?"

"Your face," Regina pointed out gently. "Your body language. Everything about you."

She half expected Emma to get offended and push her away, but she didn't. She just looked down.

"I just think I… owe it to him."

Regina realised then just how much of her parents' daughter she was. She was so good through and through.

Far too good for her.

She opened her mouth to say that, or maybe to tell Emma that there was someone right in front of her who already loved her more than Hook ever could. But before she could say anything, Emma's face was crumpling. She reached up and clutched at her throat with one shaky hand, and it took Regina a split second too long to realise what was happening.

"Oh," she said, stepping forward and sliding an arm around her. Emma tumbled into her embrace, her sobs building quickly and painfully. She buried her face in Regina's shoulder and took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to get herself under control even though Regina knew she'd barely started.

"Shh," she murmured into her hair. "It's okay. Don't try and hold it back."

Emma hadn't experienced a sub drop yet. Maybe she'd been lucky, or maybe she'd just been stubborn – either way, it was finally hitting her, and Regina could sense the shock in her tight muscles.

"What's…?" Emma choked out, her face wet and hot against Regina's dress.

"Sub drop," Regina said, lifting a hand and stroking it over the back of Emma's head. "I'm sorry. This is my fault."

Emma nearly wailed at that. "It's _not_." She sounded frustrated and embarrassed and so, so sad, and Regina wanted to cry along with her.

"It is," Regina murmured, pressing a kiss just above her ear. "Just take a second to breathe. I'm right here with you. Okay?"

Emma nodded. Her hands had grabbed the back of Regina's dress and were twisting in the fabric, trying to pull her closer even though every inch of their bodies were already pressed together. She sniffed hard, nuzzling her nose against Regina's shoulder so that the familiar scent of her could drift up into her brain.

All Regina could do was hold her tightly, whispering soft things into her ear until she felt the trembling stop.

Eventually Emma huffed out, "I feel so stupid."

"Don't," Regina said at once. Emma's face was still buried somewhere beneath her hair, and she wished she could look her in the eye as she spoke. "It's really common, Emma. It's nothing to be embarrassed by."

"Right. Except I'm 30 years old and I should—"

"This has got nothing to do with not being mature enough or tough enough," Regina said, rubbing circles over her back. "It just happens. Like I said – it's my fault."

"How?"

"Because I knew you weren't feeling great and yet I went along with this anyway."

Emma scoffed, and the hot burst of air against her neck made Regina shiver. "I made you do this. I _wanted_ to."

"So did I. But I should have taken it slower," Regina sighed. "That's my responsibility in this arrangement – to make sure you're safe, so you don't get overwhelmed. So, I'm sorry. Really."

Emma finally pulled away from the embrace. Her eyes were pink and teary, but at least she was smiling again. "I'm not going to forgive you for something that you don't need to apologise for in the first place."

Regina rolled her eyes. "As stubborn as ever."

"Always," Emma said. She leaned forward and pecked Regina on the cheek. "I'm sorry for crying all over you."

"And _you_ don't need to apologise for that," Regina scolded gently. "Decent aftercare is important, but it's hard to give you that in a public bathroom. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Emma insisted, scrubbing her nose with the back of her fist. Regina grimaced.

"My God, will you use a tissue at least?" she asked, grabbing some toilet paper and pushing it into Emma's hand. Emma blew her nose with an apologetic smile.

"We've officially reached a new point in our friendship," she said, and the joke hurt them both.

Regina smiled weakly back at her. "It's a momentous occasion."

For a second they just stood there, watching one another wistfully. Regina could see something in Emma's gaze that felt an awful lot like regret, and she wondered whether she'd tell her why if she was brave enough to ask.

But before she could, the bathroom door was swinging open again.

"Emma, honey," Snow said to them. "I brought you a glass of water, and Granny's made you some chamomile tea."

They both rolled their eyes. When Regina laughed at the despairing expression on Emma's face, Emma actually smirked back at her.

"I'm okay now," Emma called out, her eyes fixed on Regina's lips. "We're coming back."

They waited for Snow to leave again, but from the lack of movement, it seemed that she planned on waiting there until her daughter had resurfaced. With a sigh, Emma adjusted her shirt before reaching out to smooth down some of Regina's messy hair. They finally unlocked the door.

Snow was waiting with a glass of water in her hand and a concerned frown on her face. She didn't even glance at Regina as she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Emma said, although she looked so flushed and puffy-eyed that Snow's face fell further.

"Come on," she said, reaching out and wrapping her spare arm around her daughter's shoulders. "We should probably get you home."

Regina followed them out of the bathroom, her eyes on the defeated sag of Emma's spine.

The second they were back out in the diner, Hook leapt up from the table and strode toward them. He didn't seem to notice Regina either – he was too busy wrapping Emma in a hug that made her visibly flinch.

"Come on, love," he said, easing her away from her mother and turning toward the door. "I'm taking you home."

Emma blinked. "I'm fine. I don't need to go anywhere."

"Yeah, you do," he said, and his voice was impatient. Whether it was directed at the fact that their date was ruined or the fact that Emma had left him alone with, God forbid, her _family_ for so long, Regina couldn't tell.

He was using the arm with the hook to guide Emma away from them, and Regina gritted her teeth when she noticed its sharp point digging into her arm.

Emma didn't even seem to register it, though. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder at Regina, who was waiting five feet away with her hands folded in front of her stomach. Her lips were slightly swollen, and her eyes were flashing with something that Emma both hated and missed.

Hook pulled her harder, and then Emma was gone. Regina went back to the table and sat down, forcing herself to listen to the people surrounding her talk about how good it was of Hook to take care of Emma like that.


	9. Chapter 9

Hook's voice was washing over her, but Emma wasn't sure she'd listened to a single word he had said in the past half hour. The fact that his face was so animated made her feel kind of sad – he was still there, still trying to get her to engage with him, and maybe that made her the bad person in their relationship. Because another three weeks had gone by since the incident in the diner, and yet Emma still hadn't let Hook touch her, or even really kiss her. Instead, she just spent her days wishing he would leave again.

His hook flashed whenever he gestured toward something, and it made her chest go cold every single time.

"Don't you think?" he asked. Emma nodded in the same dull way that she'd been doing since they'd sat down on the couch together. She had no idea what the question was, but she knew vaguely what topic they were discussing. There was a bridal magazine open on the coffee table.

The mask that Hook had put on five weeks ago slipped again, and he asked, "What's the matter? Don't you like this idea?"

Emma was clueless as to what idea he was referring to, so she just shrugged.

"Emma," Hook snapped. "Can you at least try to act like you give a damn?"

"About what?" Emma replied. "About the wedding that I haven't actually said yes to?"

"What do you mean? I proposed, and you accepted."

"Yeah, I did – but that was _before_ you betrayed my trust and we broke up. Before you disappeared for months and then came back like—"

"Not this again," Hook groaned, slumping back against the couch. "I've already apologised."

"Have you?" Emma demanded. "When?"

"All the time! I'm constantly apologising to you."

His eyes were flashing, and that was because he genuinely believed that to be true. Emma had a good memory, though – especially when it came to betrayal – and she could feel her frustration starting to crackle in her palms. He hadn't apologised once – not even when he'd shown up on her porch making excuses about where he'd been and then using the same breath to demand that Emma let him back in.

"Then do it right now," Emma said, lifting her chin. "Say, 'I'm sorry for leaving you, and I'm sorry for hurting you.'"

Hook glared at her. "You already know I am."

"Then why won't you say it?"

"Because you're being ridiculous!" Hook snapped, his voice loud enough to make Emma jump. "I don't know what's gotten into you since I left, but you're being insufferable at the moment, Swan. Why are you so demanding all of a sudden?"

Before he'd left, Emma had been quietly trailing around after him wearing florid blouses and no make-up because Hook had told her he liked her better that way. She hadn't bothered to curl her hair in months. Now, though, she was back in her leather jackets and she wasn't afraid to snap back at him anymore. And he didn't appreciate it one bit.

"I've always been like this, Killian," she said flatly. "I've just been pushing it down because I was scared you would leave me if I didn't."

"I would never leave you," Hook said, grabbing her hand and squeezing.

"That's exactly what you did!"

"Someone _took_ me," Hook immediately replied. "How many times do I need to tell you this?"

"Honestly, I wish you'd stop," Emma said, wrenching her hand free. "Every time you say it, it just feels like you're making excuses. You haven't apologised. You haven't even really told me where you were. You came strolling back into my life like you were expecting me to be sitting here waiting for you, and ever since then you've been furious because you're all too aware of that fact that I wasn't."

Hook was watching her strangely. For a second, Emma thought it was because he thought she had a point.

But then he said, "Were you sad at _all_ while I was gone?"

"Of course I was. I was inconsolable."

"For how long?"

"I don't know. Weeks."

"How many?"

Emma looked flatly back at him. "You need a measure of how sad I was?"

"Yes, Swan, I do. Because I'm trying to talk to you about our wedding and yet you're not even wearing your goddamn engagement ring anymore."

Emma sighed. "Two weeks."

"What?"

"Two weeks," she repeated. "That's how long I was sad for."

Hook was looking at her like she'd just threatened to set his new boat on fire. "And then what happened? You got over me?"

"Kind of, yeah," Emma said. She was well aware that she was being cruel, but she honestly didn't care all that much anymore. "I was miserable and lonely and I had no idea what I'd done wrong – I _hated_ myself, and it was all because I thought you'd left simply because I wasn't worth sticking around for. But then one evening Snow and Regina took me out for a girls' night and I had fun and I got drunk and… and I realised that actually, I'm fine. I'm fine as I am."

"Of course you are," Hook sighed. "But that doesn't mean you can't also be fine with me."

"Except I'm happier now than I ever was when I was with you," Emma blurted out. His eyes immediately narrowed. "Killian, I'm sorry – but I'm not sure we've ever been that good together. We argue constantly and you make me feel so _small_. And maybe it's cruel to bring this up, but we've never even had a true love's kiss. Why is that? Why hasn't it worked for us?"

Anger flashed over Hook's face, and it was obvious he'd been wondering the same thing for a while.

"Maybe it's because you've never put any effort into this relationship."

"Oh, give me a break," Emma snapped.

"It's true! Look at us right now – I'm trying so hard to make things better, to get this wedding up and running, and all you can do is sit there with a face like a smacked arse, obviously wishing you were somewhere else."

Without meaning to, Emma thought about Regina. It was late in the evening, which meant she'd be at home with Henry, cooking and laughing and maybe even checking her phone to see if Emma had finally decided to text her again.

Hook was right, really. She was wishing she was somewhere very specific indeed.

"It's because you're not listening to me," she sighed. "I tell you that I want to go slow, that I'm unsure about all of this, and you don't hear a word of it. You keep pushing me into dates and trying to climb back into my bed again, and instead of understanding that maybe I just can't trust you anymore, you blame me for the fact that my trust got broken in the first place."

"Someone _took_ me—"

"Don't," Emma interrupted wearily. "I can't listen to it again."

Hook growled then, throwing his hands in the air. "I don't understand why you're so reluctant to just _be_ with me."

He wouldn't, because he had no idea who she'd been with in his absence. He had no idea how softly Regina had kissed her, or how hard she'd made her come, or how closely she'd held her after their play sessions to make sure she didn't drop and spend the rest of the night crying alone.

Emma couldn't be with him after that. Not when he was usually the reason she wanted to cry in the first place.

She looked down at her lap and sighed, and then she finally said it.

"I don't think this is working."

She'd been thinking it for weeks, as she'd slowly dragged herself through the motions of pretending like she might forgive him. As soon as she said the words, her stomach felt 10 pounds lighter.

Hook, on the other hand, looked like he'd just aged 30 years. "That's because you're not trying."

"I have tried. Really. But some relationships can't be saved."

"Not if you don't want them to be saved, no."

Emma looked confusedly back at him. "Well – yeah. Exactly. I don't _want_ to. Doesn't that tell you enough? If you already knew that, shouldn't that have been your cue to stop chasing me?"

Hook's nostrils flared as he said, "I'm never going to stop trying to win your heart back, you know."

Sudden fury rose up in Emma's chest like a forest fire.

"You don't get to _win_ it back," she snapped. "You get to earn it, and so far you've done absolutely nothing to make that happen, Killian. Following me to work every day and demanding to know when I'm going to put my ring back on isn't a great incentive for me to fall back in love with you."

For a second, Hook actually looked hurt. "You… don't love me anymore?"

It would have been so easy to lie, but Emma was finally through with doing that. "No, Killian. I don't."

Guilt wrapped its hands around her and threatened to choke her, but they loosened again when Hook's face darkened.

"Why not?"

Emma groaned, her head tipping backward. "After everything I've already said, you still need me to explain it to you?"

"Yes, because you're still not making any sense."

"Because you're not listening to me!"

"All you ever want me to do is listen to you," Hook scoffed. It was such a ridiculous thing to say that Emma couldn't even formulate a response. "What are you going to do once you've driven me away, Swan? You really think someone else will have you?"

And again, Emma thought of the woman who was at home just a few streets away. It was her automatic response to most things Hook said nowadays.

But then she pushed the thought aside, because this wasn't about Regina. Not really. She didn't know what Regina thought about any of this because she deliberately hadn't asked her – but it also didn't _matter_. Whether Regina wanted her or not, all Emma knew was that she didn't want Hook. Not anymore.

"I don't care," she said flatly. "I shouldn't be with you just because it's easier than being alone."

"You're going to regret it."

"No, actually, I'm not. I should have just said this when you showed up on my doorstep," Emma sighed. "I felt like I owed it to you to give you a chance, but that was stupid. We had some good times before, and you used to be nice to me and you made me laugh, but that's not enough when I don't trust you anymore."

"Trust?" Hook replied. "You don't trust anyone."

_Do you trust me, Miss Swan?_

_Yes, Madam Mayor. Of course I do._

Emma straightened her shoulders. "I do when people have earned it."

Hook growled, his last shred of patience finally abandoning him. "You're being an idiot. You're doing this just to spite me, and it's going to come back and bite you."

"I doubt that."

"I _know_ that."

"Killian," Emma sighed. "Enough. This whole thing isn't working and we need to call it quits. Are you seriously going to tell me that any of this is making you happy?"

"No, I'm not. Because you've been unbearable ever since I came home, even though I've been trying my best. And yet you're the one trying to break up with _me_ – you've got some nerve."

Rage licked at Emma's temples, and she ground out, "I've got a nerve to tell you that I don't love you anymore?"

"Yes, you do. You're the unlovable one here, not me – you're the broken little orphan who will never be able to find happiness when she refuses to let anyone in."

There was a clicking noise as Emma furiously clenched her jaw. Hook was glaring at her with complete hatred in his eyes, along with something that looked disturbingly like satisfaction, and she knew she only had two options for what to do next.

The first was murdering him, so she went with the second.

"You know what?" she said quietly, leaning close to him. He actually tilted his head forward to meet her, like he was expecting a kiss.

Emma smiled coldly and said, "Fuck you. And fuck this."

She caught his blink of surprise before she waved both of her arms and disappeared in a cloud of pale grey smoke. Hook stared at the empty space opposite him on the couch, staying silent for a few moments, before he grabbed the bridal magazine on the coffee table and hurled it at the wall.

* * *

Emma materialised in the one place she'd been thinking of for the past month.

She landed on Regina's bedroom floor and found herself staring at an empty bed. It was nearly 10pm so she'd half hoped Regina would be there already, but after a pause she realised she could hear the faint sounds of chatter coming from downstairs. Regina and Henry were in the kitchen talking about school, by the sounds of it, and Emma wasn't going to interrupt. With a sigh, she approached the bed and sat down on the edge of it. After a few minutes of waiting, she lay back and stared up at the ceiling, her hands folded on her stomach.

It was 10:30pm when she heard footsteps on the stairs. Emma tensed up when she realised they were Henry's, but he just headed straight into his bedroom and shut the door without realising that there was another person in the house. Emma swallowed and went back to waiting, listening to the sounds of Regina locking up for the night.

When she started walking up the stairs, Emma didn't feel nervous.

Regina pushed the door open and jumped as soon as she laid eyes on the bed.

"Emma?" she hissed, quickly shutting the door behind her. "What are you doing here?"

Emma smiled weakly. "Sorry. I probably should have called first."

She sounded so morose, and Regina immediately locked the door. After a pause, she walked toward the bed and sat down beside her.

"What's going on?"

Still staring up at the ceiling, Emma said flatly, "I've just ruined things with Hook."

Regina sighed. "Don't tell me you're expecting sympathy from me."

"No," Emma laughed shortly. "Of course not. I just… wanted to see you."

That made Regina's palms tingle. Trying not to smile hopefully, she asked, "Why?"

She'd been expecting Emma to sigh and say "I don't know" and then maybe fall into an anxious silence, but that didn't happen. Instead, Emma gritted her teeth and just started talking.

"You know, he's never been good for me," she blurted out. "I've known that for a while. But I decided to do the right thing and give him a chance, because there was still the possibility that we could be happy together, right? It would have been stupid to throw all that away without even trying to fix things. But it's been awful and the more time I spent with him, the more I realised how much better off I was without him. I was _happy_ with you, Regina. Were you happy with me?"

It was the bluntest question she'd ever asked, and it made Regina blink.

"You know I was," she said softly. "We were… surprisingly good together."

"Right?" Emma said, rolling her eyes like that fact was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. "And yet I gave that up to go back to that _slime ball_ who refused to listen to me or apologise to me or even notice that I was miserable. He could have done the decent thing and told me that I was allowed to want to be without him, but he didn't – he just followed me around and tried to emotionally blackmail me back into bed."

Regina swallowed. She hated herself for asking it, but she needed to know. "And… did he succeed?"

"No," Emma replied. A jolt of relief shot through Regina's body. "I couldn't stand to be near him – there was no way I was going to sleep with him again."

"Well, I'm delighted to hear it," Regina said. "I would hate to ruin my clean streak when it comes to not having murdered anyone recently."

Emma snorted. Then her expression went dark again.

"I just…" she started, looking up at Regina's face. "Am I being stupid? For throwing all that away because of some kinky fling?"

Regina couldn't help it – she flinched. That hurt more than she thought it would.

But then she saw the concern in Emma's eyes, and she realised that Emma didn't really think that. She'd magicked herself away from Hook and gone to one very specific place, after all. As soon as she'd had enough, she'd rushed to the one person who had always managed to make her feel safe again.

Regina tentatively reached out and pushed Emma's hair back from her face.

"No," she said quietly. "You're not."

"Really? Because right now I don't even know what you're thinking. We've been avoiding talking about any of this because this whole arrangement started as just a fun, sexy thing for us to do, and I feel like I'm being a total moron for having just walked out on my fiancé and yet still hoping that there could be something more here with you."

Regina's blackened, broken heart suddenly felt so much lighter.

"You've… been hoping that?"

Emma rolled her eyes again, like this was the stupidest thing Regina could have asked. "Of course I have. How could I not? You're gorgeous and you're insane in bed and you make me laugh and you're the only person in the world who enjoys fighting as much as I do. I'd argue with you for the rest of my life if I could."

Regina knew she was beaming like an idiot, but she couldn't help herself. Emma was right: they'd been avoiding talking about any of this for months, and it was only now that she realised there was a very specific reason for that: they both knew it meant more than it should, and that was terrifying. And neither of them were particularly good at dealing with things that scared them.

Still stroking Emma's hair, Regina took a deep breath. "Emma – I knew you were unhappy with Hook, but it wasn't my place to say anything. It was none of my business, and I didn't want to confuse matters further if you were actually considering marrying him."

Emma nodded shortly. "Yeah. I know that."

"But," Regina continued. "I think… I think you shouldn't base your decision on whether to break up with him or not on whether you have someone else waiting in the wings. If you're not happy with him, then end it. Do that for yourself, not for anyone else."

Emma smiled faintly. "I know. I already did."

"What?" Regina asked, pulling her hand back from her. "When?"

"Just now. I told him I was done. For good."

"And…" Regina swallowed. "And you came here?"

"Yeah. Like I said – I wanted to see you."

Regina smiled at her so softly then that Emma thought she could cry.

"You should have said."

"I know. I'm just… I'm scared, Regina," Emma admitted quietly. "This isn't just a fling for me. It hasn't been for a while. But you and I are notoriously bad at talking about our feelings, and I didn't want to say anything in case I ruined it all. I don't want to drive you away."

Regina pondered that for a second, before saying, "I'm not entirely sure that's possible."

"How so?"

"Because, like you said – this has meant more than it was supposed to for some time now. We've both known it, even if we were too stubborn to admit it," Regina said. "And although I really don't want to just be a back-up plan for you, I'm not sure I'd be able to end this with us, whatever you said or did."

Emma looked appalled at that. "You could never be a back-up plan for me."

"No?"

"God, no. Regina, things have been so great with you. I knew it all along, but it wasn't until Hook came crawling back in and I was forced to go weeks without you that I realised just how much I miss out on when you're not around."

Regina smiled faintly. "You mean the sex?"

"No, I don't – I mean, I miss talking with you and joking around with you and hanging out with you and Henry. And sure, the sex is mind-blowing and I'd probably set myself on fire if I was told we could never do it again, but that's not all I'm after. I'm not… I mean, it's not just me. Right?"

She sounded so hopeful, and Regina couldn't help but laugh.

"Of course it's not just you," she sighed. "Oh, Emma – we've been so stupid. Of course we were going to fall for one another. This was so inevitable."

Emma laughed along with her, gratitude prickling at her eyes. "I know. We were so dumb to think we could get away with this."

"We really were," Regina shook her head. "You and I… We've always had this chemistry, even when we were fighting. Of course I was going to fall for you as soon as we fell into bed."

Emma's smile was watery and hopeful. "You've actually fallen for me?"

"I have," Regina said, not scared to admit it because she could already see the happiness glittering in Emma's eyes. "A long time ago, I think."

"Me too," Emma said, finally pushing herself up onto her hands. "And honestly, it didn't even matter that Hook came back – even when he was sitting right in front of me, all I could think about was you."

Regina grinned, and without asking herself whether it was a bad idea, she reached for the back of Emma's neck and pulled her in for a kiss. Emma melted into it at once, her greedy fingers sinking into Regina's hair and her lips parting all too readily so she could breathe a sigh of relief. She could feel Regina smiling against her.

Emma had missed this so much, and suddenly she felt lighter than she had done in months. Her heart was pounding and, as Regina's tongue slid into her mouth, she heard herself moan like she was sinking into a warm bath.

Regina broke the kiss first.

"We're going to need to tell people," she said, her forehead furrowing worriedly.

"I know," Emma replied. She reached out to tuck a strand of Regina's hair behind her ear, not sounding particularly concerned about it. "We will."

"Tomorrow?"

Emma smiled. "Yeah. Tomorrow."

Chuckling, Regina caught her mouth again and kissed her hard enough to send her toppling back down onto the mattress. Her fingers were already peeling Emma's shirt up a few inches so she could place a hand possessively over her ribcage, and it tickled in the warmest way. Emma arched up to press herself harder into her touch.

Regina's lips moved softly against hers, her tongue sliding easily into Emma's mouth, and she shivered so beautifully when Emma's hands slipped down her body and cupped her ass. Raising one hand, Regina waved around the room, casting a silencing spell over the four walls and the locked door, before adjusting her position until she was straddling Emma's waist. Her hands slid greedily up the front of her shirt and grabbed hold of her breasts, and she nearly came undone just from the way Emma moaned.

A thought suddenly struck her, and she paused.

"If we're officially 'together'," she asked slowly, waiting until Emma was looking up at her before she continued. "Do I still get to call you Miss Swan?"

They both knew what she was really asking. The gigantic grin that Emma threw up at her was the best one in her known repertoire.

"Absolutely, Madam Mayor," she said, loving the way Regina's face darkened as soon as she said that. "Whenever you like."

With a growl of longing, Regina dove forward and captured Emma's mouth again, kissing her hard enough to make her gasp. Squeezing on her breasts, Regina rolled her hips against Emma's abdomen, loving the feeling of having her squirming beneath her once more. Emma's smile was fading, and that was because they both recognised the feeling of one of their games starting – instead of grinning happily, she was clutching onto Regina's body, silently pleading with her to never let her go again. She'd been waiting for this for too long, and she already couldn't stand the thought of it ending.

Luckily for her, Regina had absolutely no intention of doing that.

She grabbed the bottom of Emma's shirt and tugged it violently over her head before hurling it to the floor. Emma responded by sitting upright and wrestling with Regina's zipper, yanking it down and then peeling her dress off of her. They continued tearing at one another's clothes, nearly ripping them in their haste to get rid of them, and as soon as they were both naked, Regina straddled Emma's lap once more. They kissed furiously, their hands exploring every inch of skin that had gone neglected ever since they'd been pressed up against Granny's bathroom wall.

Emma could feel her heart rate spiking and her breathing getting faster as Regina writhed against her, her hands getting increasingly grabby and her kisses becoming longer. Regina had always been a surprisingly patient person, but right then she absolutely did not have the capacity to drag this out. It didn't take long before she tore her mouth away from Emma's and muttered in her ear, "Get in the middle of the bed."

Emma scrabbled to do as she was told, and as she settled herself down on her knees, Regina strode across to the other side of the room. She crouched down to grab some things out of her closet – something that always made Emma's intestines tangle together in excitement – before strolling back toward the bed with a dark smile on her face. It was an expression that Emma had fallen in love with, and she could have cried to have it back in her life again.

Standing at the foot of the bed, Regina tossed three items onto the mattress in front of her, one by one. Emma glanced down at them and swallowed.

"What colour, Miss Swan?"

Emma let out a shaky breath. Two of the items were familiar to her by now, but one was new. "Green."

"Good," Regina said, climbing up onto the bed and grabbing the first object. "Then put your hands behind your back."

Emma did so immediately, watching with wide eyes as Regina crawled towards her. When she was inches away – close enough for their breasts to rub together – Regina reached behind her and grabbed one of Emma's wrists.

"Is that too tight?" she asked as she attached the handcuffs. Emma shook her head, and Regina repeated the action on the other wrist. She finished by pressing a chaste kiss against Emma's lips before scooting back again.

Then she grabbed the second object – the one that Emma had been eyeing with the slightest bit of trepidation.

"Have you ever used these before?" Regina asked coolly, dangling the nipple clamps from her fingers. Emma shook her head. "Would you like to?"

"I…" Emma swallowed. "Will it hurt?"

"A little," Regina said. "It depends on how tight I make them. You like it when I pinch your nipples, don't you?"

"Yeah…"

"It won't hurt any more than that, I promise. If anything, it should feel so much better," Regina said. She shifted her hands so that the thin chain glinted. "You'll feel a permanent, dull pleasure that will be absolutely impossible to ignore. And I won't do anything to help you with it."

Emma moaned softly. "I knew you'd say that."

With a wicked smile, Regina asked, "So? Would you like to try?"

"Okay," Emma nodded. "But if I—"

"I'll take them off the second you get uncomfortable," Regina interrupted quietly. "No questions asked."

Emma nodded again. She breathed in deeply, making her breasts lift up almost too temptingly. "Okay."

Regina edged closer to her and slowly attached one of the clamps. She waited for a hiss of pain or a desperate plea for her to stop, but when she glanced up, Emma was just staring levelly back at her.

"Is that okay?" Regina asked. Emma nodded.

"I think so," she said. "You can do the other one too."

Regina did so, then sat back. She couldn't believe how stunning they looked – Emma's nipples were dark and solid, sticking out aggressively from her chest. The silver chain that hung down between them made her look like a delicate ornament on a Christmas tree.

"Wow," she said softly. "You look beautiful."

Emma's face lit up at that. "I do?"

"Absolutely. How do they feel?"

After pausing to think about it, Emma admitted, "I think I like them."

"I'm very glad to hear it, because I plan on putting these on you every single time I see you from now on," Regina said coolly. She reached out for the chain and tugged ever so gently, smirking when Emma gasped. "I'd love to make you wear them out of the house, underneath your clothes."

"That would be torture."

"It would," Regina agreed, tugging slightly harder. "And I would enjoy it ever so much. I do love watching you squirm."

Emma was already wriggling a little, and it was such a beautiful sight. The clamps seemed to be making her breathe faster, and every time she moved even an inch, her nipples got harder.

"Time for number three," Regina said, lifting the last object – an eye mask – from beside her. Emma dipped her head forward and allowed Regina to slide it over her eyes. "How's that?"

"Perfect, Madam Mayor."

"Is anything uncomfortable?"

"No."

"Good. Then stay right there and don't make a sound."

She climbed back off the bed, leaving Emma alone in the middle of the mattress. The handcuffs behind her back and the chain that was strung across her chest both tinkled whenever she moved, tugging at her in all the right places and sending an irresistible jolt of pleasure down to her pussy. Regina knew all too well what it felt like to be left there like that, legs slightly spread and eyes totally blind, and she smirked to herself.

She grabbed the chair from her vanity table and dragged it to the foot of the bed, settling down in it and crossing her legs as she watched Emma wait.

Emma wasn't very good at being patient – especially not when she knew Regina was in the room somewhere, her calculating gaze flicking all over her exposed body. As she kneeled, she could feel herself being observed, and the sensation only intensified the throbbing that had started up between her legs. She shifted position ever so slightly and nearly whined when the clamps tugged on her nipples.

The wetness between her thighs was getting thicker and more difficult to ignore, and she shifted again. She felt her folds sticking together and then slowly peeling apart, and she couldn't help but tip her head back and moan.

"What did I tell you about making noise?" Regina asked coolly from somewhere ahead of her. Emma whimpered.

"I'm sorry, Madam Mayor."

"Does it feel good?"

"Yes," Emma said, rolling her hips so she could feel the wetness spreading. "It does."

"But I bet it also feels a little frustrating, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Emma sighed.

"Would you like me to do something about it?"

It was the cruellest question she could have asked, because Emma knew she wasn't going to give her any relief any time soon. Still, her clit was throbbing and she was desperate to be touched, so she moaned, "Yes _please_ ", hoping that the time they'd spent apart might make Regina more willing to take pity on her.

But instead, Emma just heard a thoughtful sigh from somewhere ahead of her. She caught the swish of Regina uncrossing her legs.

She wriggled once more, hoping the sound was a prelude to Regina standing up and coming back to her, but all she heard was silence.

Silence interspersed with a slow, determined noise that sounded wet and sticky.

Emma groaned, her head falling back. "Are you touching yourself?"

"Is that any of your business?" Regina asked. She was slumped low in her chair, her legs spread and her fingers moving furiously between them. She was the wettest she'd been for weeks – even on the nights when she had lain naked in bed and fucked herself for hours remembering all the deliciously dirty things she and Emma had done together – and she wasn't surprised Emma could hear it. As her fingers plunged inside, her body squeezed gratefully around them, sending soft squelching noises throughout the room.

"No, Madam Mayor," Emma replied. She wriggled again, her chains clinking. "I'm sorry for asking."

"That's alright," Regina said, her voice startlingly forgiving. Emma blinked behind her blindfold, wondering what was going on, before she heard Regina moan softly.

"God," Emma growled, wriggling harder. Her cunt throbbed impatiently, another pool of wetness ebbing from it.

"I told you to be quiet," Regina snapped, finally pushing herself out of her chair. Emma heard the shift and inhaled sharply, the movement pushing her breasts out and causing the clamps to tug more insistently on her flesh.

She whimpered when Regina climbed up onto the bed, although she couldn't say whether it was from the sudden pinch on her nipples or the feeling of Regina bearing down on her once more.

There was a pause, and she felt herself shrink back from the burning hot presence that was lingering in front of her. Then a cruel finger curled around the chain that was hanging between her breasts and pulled hard.

Emma shrieked, trying to tear herself away and then realising what a mistake she'd made when the pain in her chest worsened. Trying to rectify it, she followed the tugging and ended up colliding with Regina. Her body was warm and unforgiving, and Regina immediately clamped her spare arm around Emma's back to hold her against her.

"Stop wriggling," Regina murmured in her ear. She dug her nails momentarily into Emma's shoulder, making her hiss, before releasing her and reaching between them to cup her breasts. "I have to say – these look better than ever."

Emma moaned, the gentle touch on her over-sensitive skin sending sparks shooting directly towards her clit. Her breasts felt swollen and tender and they were aching to be touched properly, to be bitten and slapped and squeezed so hard that it brought tears to her eyes, but Regina was deliberately doing anything but that. She delicately traced the swell of them with the tips of her fingers, watching with fascination as tiny goose pimples sprung up, before dipping her head and blowing on one hard nipple.

That was all it took to make Emma scream for the first time that night. Her chest was prickling with sensitivity and the wetness from her cunt was starting to seep down the insides of her thighs. Regina scoffed at the noise and grabbed Emma by her hair.

"Good thing I put a silencing spell on the room, I suppose," she said, quickly slapping a hand between Emma's legs and then doing it again as soon as she shrieked. "Shut up, Miss Swan. Any time you make a noise, I'll do it again."

Emma whimpered, unable to stop herself, and Regina smacked her hard against her swollen pussy. Nearly choking as she tried not to gasp out loud, Emma rocked back onto her heels and waited for the stinging pain to subside.

"What do you say?"

"I'm sorry," Emma blurted out. Regina's hand struck viciously against her pussy once more, and she corrected herself, "I'm sorry, Madam Mayor."

"Better," Regina said, pulling her fingers from between Emma's legs and examining them with a resigned sigh. "Now, would you care to explain why my hand is soaking wet?"

Emma's cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink as she mumbled, "I don't know."

"I think you do," Regina purred, yanking Emma back by her hair so she could force her wet fingers into her mouth. "I think you're whiny and greedy and desperate to be fucked."

Moaning around her fingers, Emma shifted position again and felt the first trickle of hot, sticky liquid roll down her leg.

"Am I right?" Regina asked, pulling her fingers free and sucking in a breath at the trail of saliva that clung on to them.

"Yes," Emma choked out, her chest heaving. Her nipples were nearly red now, and Regina longed to suck one of them into her mouth. "I'm sorry."

"Not sorry enough to control yourself, though," Regina scoffed, dropping her wet hand between Emma's legs and slowly sliding two fingers inside her. She was drenched, her walls slippery and yielding, and at once Emma started gabbling her thanks. "Shut up. I still don't want to hear you."

"But—"

"Don't argue with me," Regina snapped, tightening her grip on her hair. She forced herself deeper between her legs, making Emma tremble. "Just stay quiet and take my fingers like a good girl."

Emma couldn't help but moan at that, but Regina didn't chastise her this time. As she gripped hold of her blonde curls, Emma's head tipped back further and her mouth opened slightly as she breathed out her relief. Regina corkscrewed her fingers inside her, easily pushing in a third and smirking when Emma hissed " _Yes_ " from between her teeth

"You like that?" Regina asked quietly, glossing her thumb over Emma's clit and watching the way it made her entire body shake.

"Yes, Madam Mayor," Emma gasped. Her wetness was smeared everywhere now; all over Regina's hand and across the insides of her thighs, and she felt sticky and needy and like she was close to death from wanting to come so badly.

"Have you missed me?" Regina murmured against her ear, and at once Emma's head was thrashing with agreement.

" _Yes_."

"Are you going to show me how much?" Regina's fingers were moving faster now, plunging in deep and twisting hard before dragging back out again. With every thrust, Emma released tiny, surprised whining noises that lit up the entire room.

"I…" she choked out, automatically trying to reach out for Regina's waist and then getting pulled back by her handcuffs. The sudden pinch of metal on her wrists made her stomach twist hotly, and she stammered, "Oh, God – I'm going to come."

"Without asking permission?" Regina asked coolly. "You know that's not how we do things."

Emma was already gabbling over the top of her, "Please, Madam Mayor, please. I've missed you so much. Please let me come."

She sounded frantic, bordering on mindless, and Regina laughed sharply.

"Oh, Emma. I've missed you too," she purred, kissing her hard on the lips. With Emma momentarily distracted, Regina forced a fourth finger inside her. Emma wrenched her mouth away at once and wailed, her hips bucking furiously against Regina's hand.

" _Please_!"

"Do it. Now," Regina murmured, thumbing Emma's clit just hard enough to tip her over the edge. Her entire body shook as her orgasm swept through her, lighting up every single cell in her body and sending a long, grateful howl from her lips.

Regina held her up by her hair as she continued fucking her, before pulling her fingers free and smearing Emma's come all around her already drenched pussy. Emma was still trembling, her breaths coming rapidly, and she moaned as Regina wiped her hand clean against her thigh.

"That's a good girl," Regina purred, catching the flicker of a smile on Emma's face.

"Thank you," Emma breathed, pausing to lick her dry lips.

"Oh, you're very welcome," Regina said. She released Emma's hair quickly enough to make her flounder and nearly fall sideways. "Stay where you are."

Blinking repeatedly behind her blindfold to try and get rid of the stars that were flashing up in front of her eyes, Emma listened to the sound of Regina climbing off the bed and walking away.

Things went strangely quiet then, and Emma turned her head, trying to work out where she had gone. When she still heard nothing, she wondered whether Regina might have left the room entirely.

Then a voice purred directly into her ear, "I'm right here," and Emma shrieked out loud.

"Fuck!"

A hand smacked sharply against her ass. "Don't curse at me."

"I'm sorry," Emma gasped, feeling Regina move from her side and round to the top of the bed. "You just scared me."

"You should be used to that by now," Regina pointed out as she crawled up behind Emma's back. Her bound hands were clasped together, her fingers tangling anxiously.

She didn't give Emma a chance to respond before she turned and lay down on her back, scooting until she was beneath her body. As soon as Emma felt her approaching, she shifted higher up on her knees with a soft moan.

"Down," Regina commanded as soon as she was positioned directly below her pussy. Thin threads of pearly liquid were stretching across her skin, and Regina licked her lips as Emma gingerly lowered herself down.

As soon as it was within reach, Regina opened her mouth and began to devour Emma's cunt. It was still slick and deliciously sensitive and Emma arched her back at once, whining as the nipple clamps tugged at her.

Regina longed to make some belittling comments as Emma started furiously grinding against her face, but as her mouth was otherwise occupied, she had to settle for running her hands up her back and digging her nails into her hips. Emma whined, her head tipping back, and spread her legs further to allow Regina's tongue to probe inside her.

It really was a good thing that Regina had had the foresight to soundproof the room, because Emma's moans quickly escalated as she rode Regina's face. Regina smacked her ass hard as a warning, but it only dissuaded her for a moment before she started again, her curls spilling down her back as she panted and rocked.

Regina shook her head, deliberately dragging the tip of her nose over Emma's clit, and smirked when she cried out loud.

"Madam… Mayor… I…" That was as far as Emma got before her body began to tremble, her thighs suddenly struggling to hold her upright. Regina quickly grabbed her by the ass so she could hold her firm against her face, stopping her hips from bucking too hard as she came for a second time with an intensity that absolutely terrified her.

Regina held her steady as she came down from her climax, smirking to herself as she listened to Emma's frantic breathing starting to slow. When she seemed calmer, Regina slid back out from under her and propped herself up on her knees, reaching for the key to the handcuffs and releasing Emma's wrists.

"Turn," she commanded as she climbed off the bed. Emma slowly pivoted, feeling her way with her hands, until she was facing the head of the bed. "Stop. Stay there."

Emma sat back on her heels and took a steadying breath. There was a pink flush across her chest and Regina could see the faint outline of a handprint on her ass.

She smirked before heading back to the closet and grabbing another item. Regina had very fond memories of the Hitachi wand from the first time she and Emma had ever spent the night together – it felt fitting to bring it back out again now.

She weighed it in her hand, watching Emma's back muscles shifting beneath her skin as she slowly walked returned the bed. Emma's head automatically turned, trying to seek her out.

"What colour are you on, Miss Swan?" Regina asked. She knew the answer already – she could see the excited tremble of Emma's lower lip and the way her fingers were impatiently tapping against her knees – but she needed to speak in order to cover up the clicking sound of her plugging the wand into the wall.

"Green," Emma said. Her head tilted like a puppy's as she tried to work out what Regina was doing next to her.

"Do you need anything?"

"No, Madam Mayor. Thank you."

"Excellent," Regina said, placing the wand by the pillows and climbing up in front of her. Without warning, she hooked a finger round the chain connecting Emma's nipples and tugged her forward into a kiss, half laughing and half moaning at the surprised gasp she made.

"Does that hurt?" she asked as she pulled away.

"Sort of," Emma said, but she was smiling nervously. "Please don't take them off."

Regina chuckled, reaching up to cup Emma's warm face. "I wouldn't dream of it."

She pulled away then and lay down beside Emma, settling herself back against the pillows. Emma listened curiously, the blindfold both infuriating and fascinating her, and waited for her next instruction.

"Come here."

The voice came from just ahead of her, and Emma reached out tentatively to try and find Regina's outstretched body. Eventually she managed to climb on top of her and straddle her hips. She grinned when Regina immediately pulled her down by the back of her neck.

Regina kissed her slowly and tenderly, her spare hand reaching up to thumb at one of Emma's oversensitive nipples. The sensation made Emma moan and wriggle, and the increased pressure on Regina's pelvis sent hot sparks of longing shooting through her.

"Touch me," Regina murmured. Emma hesitated, and Regina could tell she was blinking behind her eye mask.

"Madam Mayor…?"

"I want you to fuck me," Regina clarified, sounding far too casual. "Right now."

After a beat, Emma slid back on Regina's body and blindly sought out her pussy. Her movements were slow and cautious, because she didn't trust this game and she didn't _like_ this game – there wasn't a single part of her that believed Regina was content to simply lie back and be blithely fucked by her, especially not when she'd deliberately left the blindfold on Emma's face.

"Hurry up," Regina snapped, making Emma jump. "You know I don't like to be kept waiting."

Emma slid two trembling fingers between Regina's legs and bit her lip, waiting in case Regina was about to change her mind and throw her off. When nothing happened, Emma pushed her fingers inside, shivering at the noise Regina made.

"Mm," Regina hummed, arching her back. "Very good."

With renewed confidence, Emma picked up a steady rhythm, sliding her fingers into Regina's wet pussy and flicking a thumb over her clit before drawing back out again. Beneath her, Regina was gasping and softly moaning, her body just starting to wriggle, and Emma decided that maybe this really was the game. Maybe there wasn't anything more to it at all.

So she stopped letting herself get distracted by what-ifs and instead renewed her determination, focusing all of her attention on the encouraging sounds Regina was making. She dipped her head, seeking out Regina's breasts with her mouth and accidentally colliding with her collarbone instead. Regina chuckled and slipped a hand beneath her hair, guiding her lower. "There."

"Thank you," Emma mumbled before she caught one of Regina's nipples between her lips and sucked. Regina sighed happily, thrusting her chest up against Emma's mouth.

Emma was so invested in what she was doing – in the feeling of Regina's slippery cunt clenching around her fingers – that she didn't notice the new movement beneath her.

One minute, she was fucking Regina with everything she had. The next, something round and smooth was pressed between her own legs.

"Wha…?"

That was as far as she got before Regina flicked the switch, and the Hitachi was suddenly vibrating against Emma's clit at a high enough frequency to kill her.

"Oh my God," Emma blurted out, springing upright. Her hand stilled against Regina's pussy as an unexpected, unplanned orgasm began to creep towards her.

"Oh no you don't," Regina purred, reaching up for the back of Emma's neck and tugging her back down again. She pressed a firm kiss against her lips and muttered, "Keep going."

"But," Emma gasped, her hips writhing furiously against the wand. "I…"

"You do not get to come before I do," Regina said in her lowest voice. Even through the threat, Emma could hear how pleased with herself she was. "If you do, I'll make you sorry you were born. Do you understand?"

Emma nodded, clenching every muscle in her body to try and push away her impending climax. "Y-yes, Madam Mayor."

"Good girl. So, get on with it," Regina said, releasing Emma's head and pushing the vibrator harder between her thighs. Emma shrieked at once, trying to pull away from it before a hand slapped her viciously across one oversensitive breast. "Pulling away isn't allowed either. Surely you could have worked that much out."

"I'm sorry," Emma all but choked out. "I'm not sure I can—"

"Yes, you can," Regina interrupted coolly. "Stop whining and focus on fucking me – that would be a good place to start."

Emma slowly began to drive her fingers into Regina's pussy once more, but her mind was elsewhere and the movement lacked her usual fortitude. Her body was rigid as she fought against the vibrations that were buzzing through her clit, and Regina watched with some amusement as her breaths got shorter and more painful-looking.

She reached for the speed setting and flicked it higher. Emma whined, automatically grinding down harder.

"Madam Mayor," she pleaded, her fingers going still again. "Please – I can't."

"You can."

"I need to—"

"You're not even trying," Regina snapped, slapping Emma's right breast hard enough to make her choke with pain. "You've already come twice, but now you're trying to deny me my only orgasm? Are you really that selfish, you little whore?"

"N-no…"

"Then prove it," Regina bit out. "Fuck your queen like she deserves it."

Emma whimpered, sudden resolve gripping her, and resumed her work. She added a third finger and pushed it deep between Regina's legs, hoping that fucking her harder would mean this was over quicker, but it wasn't working. Regina sighed happily and reached up to graze a thumb over Emma's painfully erect nipple, then cackled when Emma cried out.

"That's it," Regina purred, lifting her hips to encourage Emma to go deeper. Emma's other hand was clinging onto her waist, and she could feel it starting to shake. "You're doing so well."

"Are you…?" Emma choked out, a frustrated tear slipping out from beneath her blindfold.

"Soon," Regina said vaguely. She was drenched and could feel her climax incoming, but it wasn't even from having Emma's fingers buried inside her – it was from watching her like this, writhing and pleading, her thighs quaking as they struggled to hold her upright. "Keep going."

Emma choked back a sob and forced her fingers back inside. She was biting down on her lip and her cheeks were going pink from the exertion, and it might have been the most beautiful thing Regina had ever seen.

Regina trembled once more, her orgasm inching nearer, and said, "Come closer."

With tears clinging to the back of her throat, Emma asked, "Where?"

Regina reached between them and grabbed Emma's wrist, removing her hand from between her legs entirely before guiding her forward a few inches. Emma adjusted her position, confusion plucking at her crumpled forehead, and waited. Then she felt the brush of Regina's thighs spreading and heard a low, satisfied moan from beneath her. Emma wriggled her hips and, when she made a lot more contact with Regina's body than she'd been expecting, she realised that the head of the wand was now nestled snugly between both of them.

She threw back her head and groaned. "Fuck."

"You're still not allowed to come before me," Regina said, her voice suddenly throatier. "But, luckily for you…"

Her sentence trailed off as she moaned. Emma could feel her wriggling beneath her, her hips bucking up to try and get more contact, and even though she was already dangling dangerously over the ledge of her own climax, Emma forced herself to push down harder so the wand was pressed more forcefully against Regina's clit.

The powerful vibrations rippled through them both, and it took Emma a second too long to realise that she was crying.

They both ground against the wand, their thighs bumping together and their hands shakily grabbing for any body part they could find. Emma gritted her teeth to try and force back a shriek of frustration, but then Regina was arching off the bed, her orgasm flooding over her in a wash of curse words and grateful moans. Emma let herself go a moment later, shaking with relief as she finally came, and then came again, her body collapsing down against Regina's as she rode through it with relieved tears trickling down her cheeks.

The wand was pulled away eventually, and Emma felt an arm snake around her shoulders. Regina was gentle as she pulled her close, kissing Emma's sweaty temple. "That was good."

Emma choked out a laugh. "No, it wasn't. I did terribly."

"Well," Regina said, reaching out to wipe away the tears that were still hanging off the edge of Emma's jaw. "That depends on your point of view. I feel like I just came for a solid 30 seconds, so I'm not complaining."

Before Emma could protest or claim that she hadn't done her job properly, Regina was reaching up and whipping off her blindfold. Emma blinked frantically, but before she could fully adjust to the sudden brightness, Regina was tugging her back down onto her for a kiss that was all teeth and tongues and soft, grateful moaning.

When Emma pulled away again, she was gasping.

"Can I do something?" she asked.

Regina's eyes were pitch black and blown wide when she replied. "Yes. Anything."

Emma awkwardly adjusted her position, her wobbly legs struggling to hold herself upright as she placed one thigh between both of Regina's. There was a bit of shuffling, a bit of confused blinking, and then Emma was lifting Regina's left leg so she could slot their pussies together.

Regina groaned out loud, her entire body bucking up, as she felt Emma's sopping cunt make contact with her own. " _Emma_."

"Is this…?" Emma asked. The position was awkward and she could only just about feel the pressure of Regina's pussy against her own, but the pleasure that was shooting through Regina's features was nearly enough to make her come all over again.

"Just…" Regina forced out through gritted teeth. Her eyes were closed. "Pillow."

Emma knew what she was asking for at once, and she grabbed a cushion to prop up Regina's hips with. Her nipple clamps tugged and pulled every time she moved and she forced back a whimper of dull pleasure as she arranged Regina's body. When she settled back down again, she thought she might cry.

"Fuck," she blurted out the second their pussies came back together again. A slick mess of skin and wetness and intimacy attached them to each other, but it didn't even _matter_ how good it felt. Not really. All that mattered was the feeling of being so close; so flush against one another. Regina's fingers were digging into her thigh and her throat was long and exposed as she threw her head back.

"Emma," Regina whined, bucking her hips slightly. She never whined during their play, and the sound of it just made Emma's cunt throb all over again. "You need to start moving before I die."

Relating to that feeling all too hard, Emma gripped hold of Regina's leg and began to grind their cunts together. She could feel the sharp jut of Regina's hipbone digging into her and every few seconds they would lose contact, lose rhythm and focus, but it didn't make a difference. Emma could see the pleasure building in the pink of Regina's cheeks, and as she watched her, her clit pulsed with longing that threatened to totally destroy her.

Emma bent forward and kissed Regina hard, and as soon as her oversensitive breasts pressed up against Regina's, she let out a howl.

"I can't—"

"Don't resist it," Regina gasped, grabbed Emma's ass and tugging her harder against her. "Come for me. I'm right behind you."

As she crushed their bodies together, Emma came with a gush of warmth and wetness. Her cry echoed throughout the room, and then Regina was joining her, her hips bucking furiously against Emma's as her desire flooded out of her and down the sticky skin of her thighs.

Emma all but collapsed on top of her, their bodies crushed together and their hearts pounding in sync. Regina could smell sweat and tears and sex on her, and it was the perfect complement to her permanent vanilla-y scent.

She turned her head and kissed Emma's damp temple. She felt Emma smile without looking at her.

After a few minutes, Emma slipped off of her and collapsed sideways onto the mattress. Her nipples were hard and red between the clamps, and Regina eased the metal off slowly to stop them from hurting too much when her blood rushed back into the tips.

When Emma was free of them and her breathing had returned to a normal speed, she reached out an arm. Regina looked at her for a moment before she realised what she was offering.

Hesitating, she shuffled forward and nuzzled herself into the space between Emma's head and her shoulder. As soon as their bodies were slotted together, Emma wrapped her arm around Regina's shoulders and tugged her closer.

Regina was hot and damp and so much smaller than she seemed when she was dominating her, and it was perfect. It was perfect to be curled up next to her and listening to her contented breathing.

Regina seemed to feel the same way, because she smiled and dipped her head to kiss Emma's collarbone.

Emma laughed. "You're so _soft_."

"I am not," Regina protested automatically, in spite of the fact that one of her hands was tracing lazy patterns on Emma's ribcage.

"Mm," Emma said, kissing the top of her head. "Whatever you say, Madam Mayor."

They fell into a satisfied silence, their legs tangled together and their bodies prickling as they began to cool down. It was late, and even in spite of the spell that was silencing the walls of the room, they could tell how quiet everything was outside.

Regina was the one to talk first.

"I think I've wanted this for a long time."

Emma hadn't realised that a single sentence could make her so happy before.

"Yeah," she agreed, squeezing her eyelids shut against the gritty feeling of needing to cry. "I think I have too."

"I'm sorry you had to end things with Hook."

Emma snorted. "No, you're not."

"You're right," Regina conceded. "I'm not."

"Me neither," Emma said. "He was… nothing. Not like you."

After a pause, Regina propped herself up onto one elbow and looked curiously down at her. "Like me?"

"Mm," Emma said, her cheeks slightly pink. "I hate to admit this, but I think you might be everything."

It broke her heart when Regina's face cracked into a giant, soppy grin. "Really?"

"Yeah. Maybe."

"Only maybe?"

"Well, it remains to be seen," Emma said, reaching up to touch her lower lip. "We've only been dating for an hour, so I guess you're on official probation."

And Regina could only laugh, because it was such a stupid, Emma thing to say.

"I look forward to my first performance review, in that case," she said.

When she slipped back down against Emma's body, she could feel her smiling.

"Don't worry," Emma purred, her eyes flickering shut. "I have a feeling you'll do just fine."


End file.
